


Abel Outfitters

by Maya_Koppori



Category: Zombies Run!
Genre: Gen, I chickened out okay, implied 5am, non-canon compliant, spoilers through the end of season 2
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-28
Updated: 2017-05-14
Packaged: 2018-04-17 15:25:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 29,303
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4671671
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maya_Koppori/pseuds/Maya_Koppori
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Five has been working at Abel Outfitters for years, folding sports bras and helping customers. But they aren't there for customer service- they've been placed in this mall to monitor and protect a key member of Project Greenshoot, research that some people will do anything to get their hands on.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Definition Number Four

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally a post made by collected-sports-bra on tumblr, outlining a mall!AU where Five works in a sports shop with the other runners. Add a dash of action/adventure and you get a retelling of the first two seasons. But in a mall. Five is meant to be as they are in game- no canon gender. So have fun with that.
> 
> WARNING: Much of this content will contain spoilers for seasons 1 and 2 of Zombies, Run! No spoilers from the other two seasons are included.
> 
> EDIT: Post here- http://collected-sports-bra.tumblr.com/post/121213537991/runningalchemist-collected-sports-bra

The word zombie has many more definitions than you'd think- there were four in the dictionary when you looked it up. It can refer to an inconspicuous hacking  technique, or even a cocktail of fruit juice, rum, and liquor.

And, of course, the most common and well known use of the word is tied into the reanimation of the dead. Rotting corpses, shambling through the night in eternal torment, hungering for the lives they could no longer possess. The surviving humans keep themselves alive while fleeing these monsters, this nightmare fuel to keep little ones awake for weeks on end and jumping at every thump and scrape in the shadows.

Unfortunately, your zombies are none of these.

You straighten up, wincing at a twinge in your lower back that's the product of five years crouching down to reorganize shelves. Surveying your work, you frown and tease one spandex strap down flat on the display table. There's nothing quite like row upon row of sports bras in perfect order, and damn if you don't do it better than anyone else in the shop.

"I finished, Jenny," you call back to checkout. "Ready to close when you are."

Janine shoots you a dirty look. After ten minutes, she's still wrestling with the register. Spotted as it is with glue and duct tape, you can't imagine she's having an easy time getting it open. Luckily, most of your customers pay with credit. Or else work would be much more interesting for Janine. "One moment please, Five. If this blasted machine would just- oof!" She huffs, breathless, when one sharp smack to the side of the drawer sends it flying into her gut.

Wincing sympathetically, you lean against the counter with your arms crossed. "Why didn't the Manager give us something more useful than that rousing speech as a parting gift? Like a working register?"

"She's retired," Janine answers. "Why would she waste her money on a store she isn't working in anymore?" With a final shove and yank, the drawer slides home. Her hand stills over the keys. She sighs. "I'm grateful for the promotion, really I am. But this store was her brainchild. How am I going to run it like she did?"

You look up into her tired face. Janine isn't much older than you, but she's worked here much longer than you have. What she lacks in customer service etiquette she makes up for in ingenuity, wit, experience, and at times sheer force.

"You're not," you finally say. "You're going to run it like you."

Janine's expression flickers through curiosity and hurt and pleased surprise before settling on a tickled grin. "Don't scare me like that, Five, you cheeseball." She slugs you in the arm as the two of you head to the front of the shop. "What did I do to deserve you?"

"Just lucky, I guess." You flick the light switch, casting the store into darkness. The neon Abel Outfitters sign above the entrance flickers once, twice, before dimming as well. Janine locks up, snickers, and waves, wishing you a good night.

You wave until she's made it to your mall's front doors, and wait some more until her headlights ghost through the smudged glass doors. Double check to see if the drug store is still open, Maxine might have something for your back- but no dice. The pharmacy is dark. Only then do you turn and make your nightly trek through the abandoned shopping center.

Well, mostly abandoned. A single figure patrols with a torch, tense until you're close enough to recognize. "Closing late again, Five?" Officer Smith asks teasingly when you pass her, as has become ritual for the two of you.

"What can I say? I love my job."

"See you for coffee at seven? I'll buy the muffins."

You wave over your shoulder without turning. "Sounds good, Sara. Don't work too hard."

A laugh, raspy and deep, follows you and you feel like there's a target on your back. "Take your own advice, sapling."

You chuckle and take the employee exit out back of the mall. The night air lights you up like a live wire, sending energy humming through your veins. You've just worked your third double in a row and you have never felt more alive.

It won't last until morning, so you resist the urge to open up and let your feet take you as fast as they want to. You'll need your strength for another long day staving off the zombie hordes.

In your line of business, there's one meaning of zombie that resonates with every worker. Definition number four- apathetic people who appear unresponsive to their surroundings. After all, everyone knows that working in retail is a life in a horror film on repeat.

And yet, it's not a bad way to spend your days. The other workers (Janine calls you runners, since half of you only work here to get discounts on your workout gear) help out equally, dividing the workload so that no one has too much at one time. You usually stick around the sports bras and accessories, keeping them in order throughout the day as your customers continually mess them up. Simon has socks and shoes, Jody stays close to the outfits, and Evan runs register. This technically makes him "Head of Runners" since he doesn't have to do a lot of fetch and carry. Owen is the fitting room attendant, which still baffles you since all he does is flirt with your customers. Janine has her hands full in the office most times, but you know she's keeping an eye on you all.

Your routine is second nature by now; you could do it blindfolded. You wake up the next morning, walk to work, grab breakfast with Sara, wave to Sam on your way past the reception counter, open up with Janine at nine, and spend the next few hours fending off the hordes.

You glance in Owen's direction- yet again, he's chatting up a young woman as he shows her your shop's fine array of exercise gear. The girl looks vaguely starstruck, nodding wordlessly at everything Owen says about the flexibility of this fabric or the discount on those shoes. Her friend is glancing at her watch more and more frequently, looking irritated and bored.

You sigh. Another zombie.

"It's enough to make you sick, isn't it?" Jody whispers to you, wrinkling her nose. "What do they see in him?"

You shrug, as confused as she is. Owen's a decent guy once he's serious about a relationship, you guess, and it's not like he's unattractive. He's just not your type. "Maybe it's the accent?"

"Oh, right, that's obviously it," Simon scoffs, coming up behind the two of you and slinging his arms around your shoulders. "Good aye mate," he warbles in an atrociously bad Australian accent. "Put some shrimp on the barbie and she'll be apples!"

Jody snorts, covering her mouth with one hand and smacking Simon with the other. "Quit it! You're killing me here, Si!"

You smile and watch as Friend finally gets fed up and announces that she's going to wait outside. Owen's quarry scowls and tries to cover it with a nervous giggle before running out after her.

"And what's all that over there?" Evan's voice crackles through your headset. Simon and Jody join you as you scan the store and see him glaring pointedly at the three of you. "If you've got time for gossip, you've got time for inventory. Get to it sharpish, now."

"Roger that," Simon says jokingly.  "Come on Jo, this is a two runner job."

"I'll give you a two runner job."

Their banter follows them into the back room, and you smile and shake your head. What goofs.

"Excuse me?" A timid voice sounds behind you, and you sigh, preparing yourself for another round of "What Stupid Useless Thing Will A Customer Ask Me Today?" You turn, plastering a completely fake smile on your face to beam over your shoulder. Instead, you have to adjust your line of sight about forty-five degrees downward to find a little girl with scarlet curls, clutching a corner of her dress and sniffling.

You immediately kneel and put a hand on her shoulder- Christ, she's frail, you could pick her up in one hand- and look around. Besides a couple of teenage girls talking to Evan, there's no one in the shop. "What is it, sweetheart? Are you lost?"

The kid nods and sniffs, pitiful and snotty all over. "I c-can't find my m-m-mummy." Tears start flowing faster.

"Hey now, no need for all of that," you shoosh. "Do you want me to ask the mall officer to find your mum for you?"

A nod.

"What's your name?"

"Carena."

"That's a very pretty name." You press the button on your headset. "Janine."

"Five?" Your boss sounds flustered. Something beeps and crackles in your ear. "What is it?"

"I've got a lost kid here. I'm taking her to Sam."

A long pause on the other end, and for a moment you wonder if your tech is working right.

"Be quick about it," Janine answers finally. The line goes dead. You glance toward the office door, shut tight. What is Janine doing in there?

Little Carena makes another miserable noise, bringing you back to the task at hand. You hold out your hand and melt a little when her small fingers curl around yours. Gently leading her from the shop, you talk to her in soft tones. "Come on then. Have you ever been to the help desk before while shopping with mummy?"

She shakes her head no. "Mummy takes me to Miss Archie."

"She lets you stay at the daycare while she shops here? That's pretty cool. Archie is my friend. I like getting to see her every day."

Carena beams, joyful at the realization that the two of you share a friend. "Me too!"

Irritation flares up inside you, sudden and insistent, and you check yourself so Carena doesn't catch it and think it's directed at her. So that's how it is. You know there are some parents who take advantage of your mall's daycare service. They'll ditch their children with Archie to go have coffee every now and again. And you get it, there are some times when a parent needs to have some time away from their kids. But really, every day? You wonder briefly if Archie has confronted Carena's mother about this, but decide that it's not really your business. You carry on downstairs to the desk. It's a monster of a thing, a circular booth surrounded by reinforced glass from its days as a currency exchange center. It now serves as the communication, security, and employee storage hub for the mall.

"Five!" Sam's smiling face greets you with surprise from behind the layers of glass. He cranes his neck to peek below the edge of the desk. "Who have we got here?"

You reach down and hold out your arms to Carena, and she jumps, latching onto you like a koala bear. Not even straining from the weight on your back, you swing her onto your hip and let her hug your neck while she peeks shyly at Sam. "This is Carena, Sam. She's lost her mum."

"Hi," your hanger-on adds before hiding her face again.

"Wow. That's adorable." Sam clears his throat and leans forward over his mic, toggling the switch to activate the PA system. "We are paging the parents of a little girl called Carena. She’s waiting for her parents to pick her up at the information desk." He ends the message and throws the switch again, letting the mindless drone of elevator music fill the corridors once again.

"Hear that?" You ask Carena. "That went everywhere in the mall. Mummy will be here soon."

Somehow, Carena doesn't look mollified. "But what if she's not here?"

"Of course she's here!" Sam exclaims. "Why would she leave without you?"

That only makes her curl further into herself. "She does, all the time," she whispers.

You catch Sam's eye and oh no this will not stand. You have your mobile in hand in seconds while Sam pages for Sara to "please come to the information desk at your earliest convenience."

The phone in your hand rings twice on speaker before a breathless but pleased voice sounds. "Five, is this you? I thought you were working."

"I am." You hear a squeal on the other line. "And so are you, I take it. Is this a good time, Arch?"

"What? Oh, yes! The children are making me into a mummy!"

Carena gasps, hearing Archie's voice. "Miss Archie! I wanna see you be a mummy! Can I come see you?"

"Is that my Carena?" Archie trills. "Lovely to hear from you, Ducky. We'd be happy to have you join us, we're due to have a special visitor- Jasper, not that tight please!"

You laugh and turn the speaker off, handing the phone to Carena so she can listen and say hi to the other kids. No longer scared and alone, she's happy as a clam.

"So Five," Sam says. He shifts in his chair, grinning. "Anything interesting today?"

You shake your head, knowing what he means. "Jody is still oblivious."

He groans, scrubbing at his face with his hands. "What's it going to take for Owen to make her jealous? I can't take this sneaking around it anymore."

Adjusting Carena on your hip, you raise a single eyebrow. "You think that his direct approach will work better?"

"Touché."

"Hey." Carena pokes your shoulder and you look down at her again. Archie's apparently hung up, because your phone's screen is dark. "What are you talking about?"

Sam explains. "Our friend really likes a girl we know, and he doesn't know how to get her to like him."

"He needs to take her to a fancy restaurant and bring her flowers and tell her she's bee-you-tiful and have candles and music," Carena responds immediately, looking proud of herself for sounding out her words. "That's how you get a girl to like you, duh!"

Sam arches his eyebrows at you and tilts his head as if in agreement. "Well, he certainly hasn't tried that yet."

"I'll tell him just what you said," you promise Carena. "If they get married, you can be their flower girl!"

Before Carena can form a response to the monumental honor you've just offered her, you hear heavy footsteps behind you. "What's the damage, Sam? I had to leave Esteban to deal with a rogue PTA with an expired coupon, so this had better be important. Hello, Five," Sara adds, giving you and your little friend a once over. "Who's this? The lost little one?"

"I'm not lost," Carena corrects, squirming. You let her down and she squares up to Sara, chin up. "I'm going to see Miss Archie as a mummy."

"I'm sure you are." Sara pats the girl's head while looking to you and Sam for a report that makes more sense.

"I've got to get back to work," you say suddenly, backing away. "Sara, could you get Carena to the daycare?"

"Five, this is hardly-"

"Have Archie call you when Carena's mum comes to get her," you whisper out of Carena's earshot. "She needs a talking to on the definition of neglect and endangerment of a child."

Sara's eyes widen, looking between an enthusiastically nodding Sam and the fierce child before her. Something softens in her expression and she offers her hand to Carena. "Hello, there, Carena. I'm Officer Smith." As she leads Carena off, asking about shiny gold stickers and police dogs, you and Sam stay for a moment and watch.

"She's good people," Sam says finally. There's an almost dreamy lilt in his voice.

You rap on the glass sharply, startling him. "Don't go falling in love with her now, Yao. She'd destroy you."

The color his face turns is the most precious thing you've ever seen. "Far from it!" Sam sputters, mortified. "Have you seen her when she's mad? I'd have to be an idiot to- She's not even my type!"

"We're in agreement on that." You wave, grinning, and turn on your heel. "Have a good one, Sam."

"Ah, bugger off, Five."

You take the stairs at a light jog, a much easier task now that Carena is safe with Sara. Stopping at the top step, you frown. Carena couldn't have been very heavy at all, but picking her up for so long seems to have finally agitated your lower back. Silently promising to help Janine with her closing duties to make up for it, you pop into Myers and Co.

It's a small, homey kind of place. There's a quaint sitting room in the front with the obligatory coffee table full of magazines, with a private examination room and small laboratory in the back. Instead of the searing lights you usually see in a medical office, the room is lit by soft yellow light. Some tropical fish in a tank gurgle at you as you walk in. "Maxine! Have you got a minute?"

Dr. Myers jumps at her desk, adjusting her glasses to blink at you. Judging from the red mark on her cheek, she's been dozing. "Oh. Hi, Five," she says, yawning. She stretches her arms above her head and you hear a click so loud you wince in sympathy.

"What's up?" you ask. You approach the counter and pull up a chair. "I know you got out of here before I did."

Maxine rubs her eyes. "It's Paula. Someone with a voice distortion device called her in the middle of the night last night and was shouting down the phone at her, wouldn't hang up for hours and called back immediately if she tried. She won't tell me what it was about and I didn't sleep a wink."

Suddenly your back seems inconsequential. Things you didn't notice before sharpen into focus. The magazines, usually lovingly organized, are still scattered from yesterday. The light in the fish tank is still off. Cold coffee stagnates on Maxine's desk, forgotten. And the sign over Paula's lab reads 'Occupied.' "Is someone else here?" you ask. Your tone stays casual but only just. You hold your breath and wait for an answer.

Maxine smiles abruptly. It's tired and weak, but genuine. "Yeah, her biology professor stopped by. He noticed right away that she wasn't herself, so I covered out here and let them have a moment to talk. Who knows? If Paula won't talk to me, maybe he can help her with whatever this is."

You sigh, relieved. The muscles in your shoulders release. "This sounds serious," you say in any case. "Do you think either of you could be in danger? You know Sara wouldn't mind calling in a favor at the station."

"I know, but there's no need for that. It was probably just some drunken idiot with a Darth Vader toy," Maxine assures you before examining you over the rims of her glasses. "Now what was your problem? You came in here wanting something, right?"

Your hand reflexively goes to your back, gently pressing a point of built up pressure. The knot’s been bothering you for some time. Every few days the segments in your spine crack and relieve the tension, but it doesn’t help for long. "This again. It was fine but then-"

Maxine is already reaching under her desk for what the runners call the Codex. It’s a huge red cube with a white cross on top. Inside is an assortment of just about anything you could use in an emergency; bandages, neosporin, a torch, batteries, some thin cord, candles, matches, cotton swabs, tampons, and more. There’s even a small knife. A first aid and survival kit all in one, Maxine keeps it stocked specially for Abel runners in return for her honorary employee discount.

She opens the box, taking only seconds to locate and extract a heat strip and some painkillers. Those will cost you a few pairs of socks, but you're more than willing. Putting the Codex to the side, she slides your supplies across the desk to you. “Here. These will get you through the day, at least. Five, I keep telling you to go see someone about that back of yours.”

“I am,” you point out. “You.”

Rolling her eyes, Maxine point an accusing finger at you. “You know what I mean. I may not be qualified to examine your spine, but I can most certainly write you a doctor’s order for some time off to find someone who is.” She sighs and hugs her arms across her chest, looking concerned. “I’m worried about you, Five. All you ever do is work. You don’t go out drinking with the others at Abel, you don’t use any of the social media links you gave me, and you’ve never once come over for dinner, even though I know Paula’s invited you. If you keep this up, you’ll work yourself to death.”

You hesitate. You hate seeing Maxine worried like this, but there really isn’t anything you can do about it. Orders are orders. Before you can think up a response, the lab door swings open.

Paula steps out first, looking tired but smiling at the man next to her. You glance at him and frown. He looks... Pretty much as you expected, you guess. He's thin in the elderly sort of way, with silver hair and a goatee. His tweed suit coat hangs around him like a billowing cloak. Wire rimmed spectacles frame his huge, watery eyes. They lock on you and your heart skips a beat.

"Thank you again, Professor," Paula says earnestly. "I appreciate the visit."

The man's eyes finally leave yours, turning their cold light to Paula. "Anytime, Miss Cohen. But don't think I'll be pushing back the schedule of your thesis over this."

Paula chuckles. "I wouldn't dream of it, sir. Oh, hello there Five," she says, brightening at the sight of you and Maxine. "Gosh, today's the day for visitors, isn't it?"

You have to pinch your leg hard to make yourself move again. What's wrong with you? There's nothing dangerous or frightening about this situation, but you feel like you've just sprinted a marathon under gunfire. Your adrenaline is through the roof, with your heart rate not far behind. You don't have to look at yourself in the fish tank's reflection to know that you've gone pale as a sheet.

Something is very, very wrong.

"Five?" His lips curl around your name and you want to bleach your ears. "What a curious name."

Maxine reaches across the desk and snatches your wrist. She curses at your racing pulse. "Alright Five, that's the last straw. Paula, go tell Janine that Five is taking the week off. Doctor's orders."

While you're frantically protesting Maxine's demand, you're still aware of Paula and her teacher. He moves closer to her for a moment, speaking lowly with their heads close. Paula frowns and shakes her head at whatever it is he's saying, and for a moment his face twists. No longer smiling and kind, the professor is snarling at Paula and hissing his words at her.

"Five! Are you listening to me?" Maxine snaps her fingers in front of your face. "Hey, I'm trying to lecture you!"

Fear and confusion cross Paula's face and she takes a step back toward the lab. "Professor Van Ark?"

Your headset squeals and shrieks, and you clutch at your ears in pain. "Attention all Abel runners!" Janine screams from the other line. Other voices mingle with hers, and the sounds of a scuffle ensue. "Evacuate the premises immediately. We have a security breach. I repeat, clear the area! Runner Five, I'm invoking Protocol Greenshoot. Secure your principals and- aaahhhhh!" Janine screams, and the audio feed cuts to static.

In that instant, an alarm trips in the mall. You and Maxine jump to your feet, hands clamped over your ears. People start screaming, glass shatters, and hundreds of feet start running for the exits. A loud humming, whirring noise grows in intensity, louder even than the sirens blaring around you.

"Who the hell tripped the fire alarm!" Maxine yells over the noise. Paula is still dazed, frozen in place.

"Maxine, Paula, run!" You vault over the desk and shove yourself between Van Ark and Paula, lowering yourself into a defensive stance. "Get out of here while I hold him off!"

Paula's hand comes down on your shoulder and she whirls you around, incredulous. "Five, what are you doing? We all have to evacuate!"

A flash of silver moves with impossible speed out of the corner of your eye. Van Ark lunges in your direction and your arm comes up too slowly to block him. The needle of his syringe sinks into Paula's arm and she drops to the floor, unconscious.

"Paula!" Maxine tries to shoulder you out of her way, but you catch her around the waist and heave her back. "Five, let go of me! Paula!" she shoves at you but you're far stronger than she is. You hold on tighter, unsure of how to proceed from here.

Van Ark smirks lazily, first at Paula and then at you. It's as if he has all the time in the world. "No need to stand on formalities, Dr. Myers. I'll be out of your way momentarily." He reaches into the inner pockets of his coat and pulls out a transmitter radio. "Bring us up," he snaps, and frowns at something said on the other end. "What do you mean, you haven't got the files? Well, then get in here and-!"

A boom echoes through the mall, and suddenly everything is silent. No more alarms, no more screaming- just Maxine's panicked breathing and the bubbling fish tank.

"What was that?" Maxine breathes. She's stopped trying to run to Paula, but you still don't release her.

You think you know the answer, but you wish you didn't. "We're in lockdown," you realize. "All of us. Someone sealed off every entrance and exit to the mall. You're not going anywhere."

Van Ark's face floods red, fury written in his glare. "I will be if no one is standing in my way." He holds his radio up once more. "All outside, look for a weak point to force your way in. Insiders, take the pharmacy."

A shout sounds from downstairs draws your attention. No less than a dozen gun toting men and women come running up the stairs in your direction. You look helplessly at Paula, still lying where she fell. You could carry her if you had to, but not at the speed you'll need to escape. If you don't leave the pharmacy in the next ten seconds, you're dead.

Adrenaline slows time around you, showing you the only option that ensures at least one of your principals' safety. You just hope she can forgive you for it later.

Taking Maxine by one arm and the Codex in the other, you turn and run. Van Ark’s laughter seeps into your ears. “You can’t run forever.”

He’s right. The mall is one circle on top of another. Sooner or later, you’ll be surrounded. Your only option is to find a place to hide. As it turns out, the only defensible position you can find and secure on short notice is the back room in the jewelry store. The employees all scattered when the lockdown began, leaving their posts empty and the safe room unlocked.

You all but throw Maxine inside first before slamming the reinforced steel door and latching it shut. Darkness swallows the both of you and you collapse on the floor, breathing hard from your sprint. Seconds pass, and pounding footsteps approach. Bullets make impact and Maxine screams. The door holds.

“Fine, you can rot in there!” one of the crooks yells. “But if you even poke your noses out here, they're getting shot off!” The group laughs and disperses, no doubt splitting up. There will still be at least three standing watch while the others return to Van Ark.

You feel around in the dark until you find the Codex. After only stabbing yourself twice on the bits and bobs inside, you locate the torch and switch it on. Rocking to your feet, you start pacing the room, taking in any and every detail that you could use. The mall itself should be pretty much impenetrable, but this kind of safe room almost always has a second emergency exit. It's mostly empty, with only a desk and three chairs in a space the size of the break room in Abel. There's probably something in the drawers that can tell you more.

“Five.” Maxine’s whisper makes your blood run cold. You turn around. The light of the torch shows the hurt and fury in her eyes. She's eyeing the door, her fists clenched like she's contemplating fighting you to get to it. "How could you make me leave Paula there? I swear to God, if he's hurt her-!"

"He's not going to," you say, certain but still apologetic. Paula and Maxine are everything to one another. You don't do the whole romance deal, but even you can tell that. Wondering what it would be like to have to leave someone you valued and trusted above all others... It makes you shake just thinking about it. You can't even begin to imagine how much Maxine hates you right now. "I'm sorry, Maxine. Really, I am. But I had no choice. It was either get the both of us to safety or risk getting killed. Then we'd never have a chance to go back for Paula."

Maxine's glare wavers. A hand rises to cover her mouth as the shock of what's happened really hits her. "Oh God," she whispers. Tears form in her eyes, dotting her glasses in a flurry of streaks as she tries to blink them away. "Five, he's going to kill her, isn't he?"

Her fears aside, you really don't think so. "If Van Ark had wanted her dead, she would be already," you tell her. "He wasn't aiming at me with that sedative. He'll want her alive so she can recreate ZN1."

"ZN1?" Maxine wipes her eyes and backs away from you, suddenly wary. "What do you know about Paula's research? I don't even know anything about it. It's supposed to be classified information."

You don't blame her for her caution. It's going to make things much harder, though. Maybe... Maybe it's best if you start from the beginning. "Hey, come on. Let's sit back down for a minute. I've got a lot to tell you."

There in the dark room, you come clean about everything. You show her your identification from Mullins Military Base. You tell her, quietly in the face of her shock, how you've been watching over her and Paula for the past five years. Most importantly, you explain the government's careful monitoring of Project Greenshoot, Paula's research branch.

"Janine's in on it too," you add. The morbid thought enters your mind that she might be dead or captured as well, but you shake it off. You can't dwell on that now. "I had to be completely out of contact with Mullins for this to work, so she's been the one actually reporting everything to the ministry."

"So you've both been spying on us for the last five years?" Maxine exclaims. Her voice breaks on the last two words. "What's so important that the ministry would monitor us and Professor Van Ark  would attack us to get? What does ZN1 even do?"

"I believe I would be more qualified to answer that particular question."

You cry out, relieved. "Janine? You’re alright!" Maxine scoots over beside you and yanks on one side of your headset to hear better. "Thank God. What's going on out there?"

"Your guess is as good as mine, Five. I'm in the office. Some of Professor Van Ark's men made it inside, but I subdued them. I've sealed off the door so they can't get back in when they come around."

The creak of plastic- Maxine is gripping your headset to tightly you think it might break. "Janine, you knew about this?"

"I would have warned you if I had any prior knowledge," Janine assures the both of you. Her voice is strained, forced through clenched teeth. "I was in the middle of an intelligence report when they started forcing their way in. All I received was the name and profile of the man who sent Paula those awful phone calls from a pay phone last night. I had no idea he was already on the premises."

Maxine makes a curious noise, scooting closer. "You don't sound too good, Janine. Are you hurt?"

Two seconds of silence are enough to confirm. Great. "How bad is it?" you ask. "Don't lie to us."

"I'm fine," Janine insists, exasperated. "The bullet only grazed me. What you two need to focus on for now is getting out of here as quickly as possible. I've arranged for transportation out of the city, back to Mullins."

"And Paula? What about Paula?”

"I have reinforcements on the way. They'll deal with Van Ark and get Paula to safety."

"I'm not leaving this mall without her," Maxine snaps. She looks up at you. "You'll have to knock me out to get me to come with you, but we both know you can't make it through carrying me. There's got to be another way.” Her words are commanding but you don’t miss the tremor in her upper lip. She’s terrified.

You rub your temples, trying to concentrate. The risks are astronomical. If you could only convince Maxine to let you rescue Paula alone, this would be so much easier. But you know there’s no chance of that, and you can’t just ditch one of your principals when there’s even a slight chance that she’ll run right into danger again. For the first time, you’re making all of the decisions and you’re finding that it’s not all it’s cracked up to be.

“Five?”

“How far away is our backup?” you ask quietly.

Maxine grabs you by the arm, desperation lending her strength you wouldn’t guess she had. “Five, no!”

“An hour by helicopter. That should give you plenty of time to escape.”

You take a deep breath and place your hand over Maxine’s. You squeeze once, decided. “One hour is too long. If we can get out, so can Van Ark. He’ll take Paula with him and then we won’t find them until it’s too late. Sorry, Janine. We’re going after her now. Those are my orders.”

Through the resulting cursing and static, as well as a bruising hug from Maxine, part of you wonders just what you think you’re doing. This is an impossible mission. Just the two of you can’t take on Van Ark’s armed mercenaries.

“This isn’t a two runner job,” you murmur idly.

“-heads of the ministry will have you court martialed! Five, you are openly defying a direct-!”

You switch off your headset, and the room goes silent again. Guilt gnaws at you from the inside out like you’re rotting. You might as well be for how long you’re going to be arrested after all of this blows over. Turning to Maxine, you raise your eyebrows. “Well? I just disobeyed British Intelligence. If you haven't got a plan, I'm not going to be very happy with you.”

 


	2. Never Far From The Tree

It takes some convincing on Maxine's part, but you finally concede and hand over your headset for what she calls "modification." To you, it looks more like brutal murder.

"Goodbye, old friend," you whimper, patting the exposed wires. You didn't even know the thing had this many, but there are so many colors you've lost track.

"Keep that light steady," Maxine orders, and you comply. The overhead lights are, of course, not working. Because absolutely nothing can be easy, can it? So you grip the torch tighter while Maxine tweaks and snips and reconnects. "And I'm not going to break it! I just need to boost the range of this closed frequency..."

Screeching static wails from the transmitter and you flinch, cursing. But it quickly stabilizes, warping around the noises to tune in on a series of voices speaking over one another.

"Janine won't talk to us, dammit! Sam, can't you override the PA or so-"

"We're all gonna die!"

"Move over Yao, I'm on the edge of the bench-"

"-dy! Christ, just calm down, it's going to be alri-"

"-is my foot!"

"Guys!" Maxine yells. You can't help but be impressed at the volume she can reach when she isn't busy being all doctorly. "Will all of you shut up for one second?"

"Maxine!" Sam sounds moved to tears with relief. "Thank God you're alright. Where are you?"

"We're holed up in the jewelry store Sam," you say clearly. "What's the situation?"

"Nice to hear your voice, Five. I was starting to think we didn't have anyone sensible stuck in here with us," Simon interrupts.

You grit your teeth. “This is no time for joking around, Lachlan. If you don’t have any relevant information, keep your damn mouth shut. Sam, what’s the situation?”

Maxine lets out a shocked noise. You try not to let it get to you. You’ve been the mild-mannered neighbor for so long, it’s perfectly natural for her to find your sudden change of character unsettling. You doubt she's ever even heard you swear before.

“Er. Right.” Sam clears his throat. “Nadia and I are safe in the storage hub. We’ve sealed off the desk area airtight, from the outside in. They can’t see or hear us in here.”

“But we can see them. I've got all of the mall's security camera footage right here on the monitors,” Nadia interjects. You’ve never spoken with her, really- she’s from the sporting goods store downstairs, New Canton Camping Co. They’re a sporting goods store, so they have everything Abel does and more. It's why you hate them all so much. You figure that she must have been going to her locker at shift change when the alarm sounded. Part of you is nervous about having someone from New Canton as such a pivotal resource. But for now it seems you're in this together.

"Good show, Nadia," Owen crows. "Can you see us, then?"

Nadia clicks her tongue. "Yes, yes, there you are with Jody in the food court. Simon, scoot to your left a bit, you'll have to find a better spot than that stairwell."

Simon retorts, but you don't hear it. "Where's Evan?" you ask.

Everyone goes silent waiting for your head of runners to make himself known. Only a few crackles of static route through the speakers.

"Oh God.” Jody starts hyperventilating. “Did he make it out? Is he dead? Oh God oh God oh God- Hey! What the bloody hell do you think you’re doing?”

Owen stutters. “Um. Trying to help you cool your head?”

“My head is up here, bastard!”

“There!” Nadia calls for your attention. “I’ve gone over the footage. Evan made it out just before lockdown was finalized. Now if I could just figure out who initiated it...”

"Nadia, everyone, I need you to listen to me very, very carefully.” You wait until you’re sure no one else will interrupt you before continuing. “We have an emergency situation on our hands. Paula’s been abducted. Trust me when I say that her safety is more important than any of you know. We need all of your help to find her, take down these people, and get us all out of here alive.” You pause before what you say next. “I don’t know if Janine’s gotten to any of you yet, but she’s hurt. I’m not sure how badly. She’s hiding for now but she has no way to help us. The rest of you could end up worse. I won’t blame any of you if you decide to try and find your own way out, or keep holed up until we get some military assistance. But Maxine and I need help if we’re going to make this work. Who’s in?”

To their credit, no one immediately backs out. Sam is the first to break the silence. “We’re really in it now, aren’t we?”

You choke on a humorless laugh. “That’s one way of putting it. Are you with us?”

“Absolutely. Nadia is, too. Aren’t you, Nadia?”

Nadia doesn’t dignify him with a response, but mutters something under her breath about the security feed.

“Well, needless to say I’m in too,” Simon pipes up. “Paula’s my friend, and Jenny signs my paycheck; I’m not leaving her in here. Runner Three is ready.”

“You mean they’re both our friends, and we’re not leaving them in here,” Jody corrects. “Runner Four, ready. Owen?”

“Where you go, I go. Runner Six, ready and willing.” Owen says. You almost think you hear Jody hum in approval.

Maxine swallows thickly beside you, and you avert your eyes. It doesn’t stop you from seeing the breathless smile on her face. “Thank you,” she says, emotion cracking her voice. “Everyone, just… Thank you.”

“Aw, enough of that. We’ve got a job to do, don’t we?” Sam asks, though he’s equally choked up. Sometimes you forget how close he is to Maxine and Paula. Even if you haven’t been to dinner with them, Sam often tells you epic tales of their roleplay games. More than once you thought about breaking protocol and joining them, but your orders were precise. Now, if you can’t pull this off, you might not get a chance to.

You shake your head. You can’t afford to think like that. “You’re right. First things first, Sam. There are hostiles posted at the door. Find us another way out of here.”

“On it. Nadia found some old blueprints in the storage lockers. Let’s see now, there’s us in the hub, there’s the pharmacy, there’s Abel… Huh.” Sam breaks off, perplexed. “Nadia do you…? Oh, never mind. No time. Ahah!” There’s a crackle as he finds the right sheet and lays it flat. “The blueprint doesn’t have any written instructions, but there’s a drawing of an offshooting crawlspace. I can’t see inside the room, so you’ll have to describe it to me or find it yourself.”

“We’ve got a desk and some chairs,” Maxine tells him. “Five, help me out over here.” She walks over to the desk, setting the torch on top,  and takes an end.

“Right.” You take a moment to finally apply that heat strip, peeling off the adhesive backing and lifting up the back of your shirt. Smoothing it down, you press it firmly into your skin. If you’re going to be lifting anything, you’re going to need it. Then, you take up your headset and put it back on, carefully maneuvering around the new wires poking out. Your breath catches in your throat. Now you’re ready.

Maxine counts to three and the two of you lift upwards. The desk isn’t as heavy as it looks, and in a few seconds it’s on the other side of the small room. You come back with the torch and gasp. Previously hidden by the desk, you now see a sealed hatch engraved with a familiar symbol; a simple pot, containing a single sprout winding upwards with three off shooting leaves.

"Project Greenshoot," Maxine murmurs. "I've seen that on some of Paula's files. What's it doing here, Five?"

You shake your head wordlessly, as confused as she is. Mullins never told you about a secret escape hatch. As far as you know, Mullins has never touched this mall.

"Sam, Nadia, we found the way out. We'll meet up with the others, but in the meantime I need you to go through the camera feed with a fine toothed comb. I need to know who sounded that alarm."

"Roger that, Five. Good luck." Nadia answers.

Sam adds, "Stay safe, guys."

"We will." Handing off the light to Maxine, you plant one foot on each side of the hatch, grip the circular handle with both hands, and heave. You vastly overestimated how much strength it would take. Instead of a rusty squeal, the hatch spins open in silence. The stains on your hands reveal that it's been greased. You wipe them on your shirt. A series of rungs lead down into a dark crawl space.

The wheels in Maxine's head are nearly audible as they whirl and spin, trying to find an explanation. "Someone's been in here," she says. She kneels down next to you and dabs her fingers in the oil, rubbing them together. She looks up at you, panicked. "Five, this is fresh. It can't be more than twenty minutes old." She hesitates. "Are- Are there more of you?"

You shake your head, but you're starting to have your doubts. Janine has been the only one contacting Mullins, and that leaves plenty of room for the idea that she's been concealing things from you. She couldn't have been the one to go through here, because she's been locked up in Abel. But you have no idea who it could be. "In any case, if we can find whoever went through here, I'll bet anything that we'll also find the person who set off the alarm. Whoever it is, we could use their help." You strap the Codex across your shoulder and swing your feet into the hatch.

“Wait! Five, I have a bad feeling about this.” Maxine puts a hand on your shoulder, holding you back. “We have no idea what could be down there. Or who!” She gnaws her bottom lip, staring down into the dark hole. “Maybe we should get Sam to look at those schematics some more. Then we could know what to expect.”

Her hand shakes on your shoulder. The adrenaline from your flight has worn off, and she’s starting to think more rationally. And normally, that would be a good thing. A level-headed doctor is never bad to have around. But with any sort of reasonable thought comes fear and hesitation, and you can’t afford that right now.

“We don’t have time. There’s no other way out of here, so we’ll have to face whatever’s down there eventually. Come on, we have to join the others.”

Maxine still looks uncertain. She shines the torch into the hole but it doesn’t reach the bottom.

You try your best to smile reassuringly. “Don’t worry, Maxine. As long as I’m with you, I promise that nothing’s going to hurt you. We’re going to be just fine.” Ducking under her hand, you spin around and start descending the ladder. Only a few seconds pass before Maxine follows.

The two of you climb your way slowly downward for some time, hand under hand and foot under foot. More than once you hear Maxine slip somewhere above you and you freeze, but she finds her footing and soldiers on.

Finally, you run out of ladder. With a glance you find solid ground about a meter below the last rung. You hop down and survey your surroundings. Maxine’s still got the torch tucked into her belt, casting faint light into two identical lengths of stark concrete tunnels extending in either direction. Maxine’s footsteps are the only sound you can hear over your own breathing. You turn and give her a hand down from the last rung.

“Which way?” Maxine asks. She adjusts her glasses and peers into the gloom, first left then right. “They both look exactly the same to me.”

“Me too.” You raise a hand to your ear. “Sam, you still there?”

A garbled ‘yes’ makes it through. You swallow a groan. Even with Maxine’s adjustments, this set wasn’t made to transmit long distance through solid concrete.

“We’re at a crossroads. Which way do we need to go to get back into the mall?” You enunciate your words and listen carefully for a response.

There’s some crinkling of paper on Sam’s end- or that could just be static, you can’t tell- and Nadia answers. “Left… outside the… through the front… right side… security.”

Maxine and you share a look. The path to your left is the exit. Not immediately relevant, but good to know. “So we need to go right, Nadia? That will take us to the security office?”

Sam says something that sounds profane and a sharp bang rattles your eardrums. “Ah, that’s better. Yeah Five, you might want to get out of there. The signal is bloody awful. Take the right hand path and it should take you… Well, I’m not sure if that’s the food court or the security office.”

“It is the security office,” Nadia insists, exasperated. “Honestly Sam, you’re supposed to be the mall’s operator! Can’t you read the directory?”

Sam splutters and then fades back into static. You tap your earpiece a few times, but with no luck. The signal’s gone dead again. "Well," you say. "I guess we're going right."

Maxine holds the torch at an angle, letting you go first but giving you enough light to see by. The tunnel stretches ahead, damp and stale from disuse. Your eyes won’t stay focused on one spot for long. They dart along the walls, stopping only momentarily over a shadow before continuing surveyance.

“This is incredible,” Maxine murmurs. She’s craning her head as she walks, examining the tunnel as she talks to herself. “It’s certainly not normal for a shopping mall to have catacombs of this extent. They look like they’re a hundred years old.”

“Keep up,” you tell her, snapping her out of her daze. “I need that light.” The last thing you need is for her to stop to take samples, or whatever it is that doctors do. So you trek on.

The truth is, you’re just as curious about all of this as she is. Small things jump out at you from the stony darkness- the symbol for Project Greenshoot is carved into the wall every few hundred meters or so. The walls are damp and mossy, but the greenery only extends to the edges of the floor. The middle is smooth and worn from use, forming a path. Your eyes follow it ahead of you, stretching out into darkness.

And then back into light. Just around the corner, the dark stones are tinged with a soft yellow light that grows brighter by the second. Someone else is in the tunnel.

Your hand lashes out behind you and catches Maxine’s hand. You turn off the torch and flatten the both of you against the wall. Maxine stumbles behind you, hissing a curse. “What is it?”

“I don’t know,” you whisper back. “There’s not anything breakable in the Codex, is there?”

“No. But Five, I really wouldn’t-”

“Hush!” You silently remove the Codex from your back and clench the plastic handle as tightly as you can. It’s the only weapon you’ve got, but it's dense and you can swing it so it'll have to be good enough.

The light finally breaks around the bend, blinding as the dawn. There's a split second after whoever it is rounds the corner before they notice you. You take it.

Sprinting forward, you swing the Codex in a wide arc and bring it it down toward the figure's face. A glint of brass flashes a star pattern at you. Recognition freezes your limbs and you try to deflect your own aim, but your momentum is against you.

Luckily, so is your balance. A leg kicks out and you go sprawling across the smooth stones. Maxine shouts something you don't hear over the ringing in your ears, and you struggle to sit up.

A hand appears before your eyes, offering. You follow it up a strong arm and find a familiar smile.

"Nice swing, sapling. But maybe look and see who you're trying to clobber before you jump in, yeah?"

You laugh, more a shock reaction than anything, and take Sara's hand. "Smith, you dog. You knew?"

"Sara?" Maxine jogs up to the both of you and switches on her own torch. "Oh my God, you're an agent too?"

"Too? Oh, please." Sara finishes putting you to rights, closing with a swift pat on the cheek before turning to Maxine. "I've been here fifteen years, honey. I saw Project Greenshoot at its very beginning."

Things suddenly make sense. "You- greenshoot- sapling! God Sara, why didn't you just tell me, instead of giving me the vaguest hint ever hinted?"

Sara scoffs. "You know how Janine is. She gave me hell over even talking to you as much as I did.” Her expression warms as she regards you, a hint of pride in her voice. “But no worries. You’ve done a bang up job, Five, getting Maxine and Paula out safely.”

Maxine lets loose a low, pained whine, and Sara seems to realize for the first time that the three of you are alone in the tunnel. Her eyes darken again, stormy and grey. “I see. Well, that changes things, doesn’t it?”

You absolutely shrink under her judgemental gaze. An image of Paula, crumpled on the pharmacy floor, flashes in your mind, and your blood runs cold. You left her. You had one job, and that was to keep them safe. And you ran away.

“Hey, it wasn’t Five’s fault! It was either run or risk all of us,” Maxine protests. You barely hear her. Sara is still staring at you. You know what she’s thinking without her saying it. It doesn’t matter if your life's in danger- your principals are always the priority. Options stream through your thoughts, each a new way that maybe, if you were just fast enough, just strong enough, you could have saved both of them. Why didn’t you?

"You say that now, after you've had time to think about it. And feel no small amount of gratitude to Five for your own escape, no doubt. But that's not how you really feel." Sara turns away from you, gesturing haughtily with one hand. "Come on, then. I suppose I should get the two of you outside so Mullins can send someone for you. I'll find a way to fix this."

"No."

Sara becomes still, and your instincts have you holding the Codex for dear life. You know that stance, and you've always counted yourself lucky that you've never been on the receiving end of it. So much for luck. Slowly, she turns and pierces you with an unbelieving glare. "What did you just say to me?"

You swallow. "I said no. We can't let Van Ark leave this mall."

"I locked this mall down," Sara counters. "No one can get out."

"Sara," Maxine gently intercedes. "If we can leave, they'll find a way out too." She looks at you from the corner of her eye before continuing, "And Five promised me. I don't care if it's dangerous. Paula is what's important." You don't know how she does it, but she meets Sara's eyes unflinchingly.

The three of you stand in silence for the space of ten heartbeats before Sara sighs, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Would I be wrong in assuming that you've already told Janine all of this malarkey?"

"No," you admit.

Sara shakes her head at you, but she's laughing- why is she laughing? "Then you're already about as in the soup as you can get. Why stop now?" She holds out her hand, grinning. "Count me in."

You shake her hand and the firmness of her grip makes you feel excited in spite of the situation. Sara isn't just an agent. She's older and more experienced than anyone else in the mall, and a great deal stronger than most. This isn't a rag-tag operation anymore. You might actually stand a chance.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is only about half as long as the first, and that's the way it will probably be from now on. 9 pages is a lot more realistic than 16, and that means that updates will come quicker! And to be honest, the writing process is easier when there are more available stopping points. Thanks so much for reading!


	3. Playing With Firemen

After being scared nearly out of your pants twice by the feedback in your ears, you switch your headset all the way off. You try to crush the apprehension in your gut. Sam can't talk to you down here, anyway. You're not cutting him off. It's fine.

You hope it's fine.

But the second you reach the end of the tunnel, you know something is off. The security office is in the middle of the back strip of the mall. If these tunnels are as extensive as you have reason to believe they are, this shouldn’t be your exit.

Maxine is able to voice it before you. "Sara, I thought this led to the security office. Isn't that how you got in here?"

Sara shakes her head and raps her knuckles fondly against the lowest rung of yet another ladder. "We passed that route quite a ways back. I’ve got to pick up some things, and there's someone up here who's probably dying to find a way out. At least, that was the impression I got before everything went pear shaped. I assume that hasn't changed. Could you give me a boost here, sapling?”

“Not like I have any other plans,” you grumble. But you comply. You approach the ladder and spread your feet shoulder width apart, lacing your fingers together. Sara places her foot in the stirrup you’ve made, and you lift from your core to help her reach the rungs. She lands like a cat, both feet finding firm purchase. In a moment she’s climbing to make room.

Maxine is next. She eyes the distance from the ground to the lowest rung, which is slightly farther than the first one you descended. “Any way the token non-spy could get a little help too?” she asks.

You nod. “Here,” you say. You sink down to one knee, presenting your thigh as a foothold. Maxine places a foot squarely on your upper leg and grips your shoulder for balance before putting all of her weight on you. She pushes up off of your shoulder and pulls herself up to the ladder.

“Good job, Doc. You know, for a non-spy.”

“Ha ha,” Maxine says. “You coming?”

You wait for her to climb up after Sara, then jump for the highest rung you can reach, bringing your legs nearly to your chest to find a foothold.

“Showoff,” you hear Maxine mumble.

“Enough dallying down there!” Sara’s voice echoes off the tunnel walls. “We’re on a tight schedule.”

Maxine starts climbing again, and you take up the rear. Theoretically, it’s the most dangerous position to be in. You’re vulnerable from behind. But you don’t know the way, and it’s more important for Maxine to be between you and Sara. You realize you’ve been feeling more than relief for Sara’s assistance on this mission. The task of protecting Maxine is now only half as difficult when shared with someone you can trust.

After another moment of climbing in silence, Sara calls for a halt. You hear a slight creak that you identify as another hatch being forced open, and a circle of light appears above you. Sara’s silhouette crawls up and over, returning a moment later to offer Maxine a hand up. As you near the top of the shaft, a completely unexpected noise reaches you.

Somewhere above you, a child is laughing. Multiple children are laughing.

“Oh,” Maxine says. “Oh my goodness.”

Curiosity piqued, you scramble up the last few rungs and pop your head above ground. Compared to the tunnels, the room you’ve entered is so bright and colorful you nearly retch. The walls are a jigsaw of pastels, and the floor is covered in plush, cloud patterned carpet. Scribbled crayon drawings hang from every available surface. Behind you is a desk, recently moved judging by the indentations in the carpet. There is a nameplate among all of the desk toys, framed drawings, and hideously crafted macaroni and bead jewelry, but you don’t read it. You’d know that desk’s owner by the contents alone.

Sara holds out her hand to you and you take it, using her strength to lift yourself out of the hatchway. Maxine is standing nearby, looking as bemused as you are.

“Why are we in Archie’s office?” You begin your question softly, but allow your voice to rise to normal level as you note that Sara is standing at ease. There’s no threat here.

Sara’s already walking toward a series of toy chests lining one wall. She lifts the lid of the first and starts rooting through it. “I’ve got a weapons cache in one of these. Can’t remember which one for the life of me.”

Maxine gasps and points over your shoulder, and you turn. A dozen faces are pressed to the office window in wonder. One tow-headed boy peels away to shout, “Miss Archie! There are grownups in your room!”

“That’s not a grownup, Jasper, that's Five and Officer Smith,” a girl snaps, and you can’t help but grin. You recognize that unfiltered brazenness.

You wave awkwardly at Carena, trying to smile. "Hello again."

"Five! That really is you, isn't it? And Maxie, too!" Archie bounds up to the window, beaming and towing along a man you've never seen before. He's tall and broad, towering over Archie by a head and a half, and his dark skin veritably ripples with muscles. He wears bunker pants and a scowl.

The children take one look at him and move as one, surging to tackle the man to the ground. He goes down with a thud and a curse, but the children continue, unheeded; asking him questions about sliding poles and fire hoses while they paw and laugh at him.

"Who is that? Is he alright?" Maxine asks worriedly. You can hear her caretaker's instincts kicking in.

Archie only laughs, stepping through the office door and closing it gently behind her. "Oh, that is Jamie Skeet, our visitor from the fire station. He is fine." She tips her head at you in a wink. "He really is very, very fine."

"This isn't the time, Jensen," Sara says in a clipped tone. She returns from her search with an arsenal of pistols, ammunition, and a single no-scope rifle. She straps the latter to her back before handing the rest to you. "Here, Five. Load up and give one to Maxine when you're done. Archie and I need to have a chat."

For the first time, Archie looks uncomfortable. She frowns toward the toy chests, now with their contents spilled across the floor. "Sara, I know I said that I would let you keep your things here for emergencies-"

"Which this is."

"Yes! But I do not want them around the children. We will be safe here until this is over. I do not want to frighten them." She looks wistfully into the playroom, where the fireman is still struggling to get a child off of his chest. There's a sadness in her eyes that surprises you.

You politely avert your eyes and focus on loading bullets into your guns while Archie and Sara talk. It doesn't take long. These are standard issue at Mullins. You tuck one into your waistband and hand the other off to Maxine. She cradles it in her hands in a way that almost makes you rethink the decision to arm her.

"Hey, you won't have to use it if I have anything to say about it," you assure her, and the relief on her face is almost comical. "The safety is on, and I left the first chamber empty. It's just a backup and an extra security."

"I'm going to take you up on that," she warns you, deadly serious.

You nod. "That's what I'm here for."

"Oi! If you're done having tea in there, I could use some help!" Through the window, you see Jamie the fireman glaring daggers at you.

You look to Sara for permission and she waves you away with a dismissive hand, more focused on talking quietly with Archie. You jerk your head to signal Maxine, and the two of you conceal your weapons before entering the playroom. You're not really around kids much, and you don't know what to do.

As it turns out, you don't have to. Jamie points and yells, "Hey you little monsters, look! It's a scientist! Go harass her for a while!" A dozen pairs of bright eyes turn to your companion at once, and it's almost as frightening as facing down Van Ark's men when they rush Maxine.

"Are you really a scientist?"

"Duh, she’s got glasses!"

"Can I try on your lab coat?"

"Hey Miss Scientist, have you ever blown anything up?"

You prepare yourself to step in, but Maxine claps her hands twice and the children fall silent. Maxine blinks, as if surprised that her tactic worked. You sure are. "One a time, please!" She looks around, desperate for something to entertain the kids with, and her eyes fall on a water table. "I may have a fun experiment for us to do. Five-"

You're already opening the Codex and offering its contents to Maxine. She rummages for a second before plucking out a small bag of white powder. She holds it up for all of the kids to see, and to your amazement they lock onto it, fascinated. "This is called a polysaccharide. Can you say that?"

"Polysaccharide," the kids chime in unison. There are a few variations, but otherwise they look proud of themselves.

Maxine does too. "Very good!" she tells them. Her voice has taken on the lilting note that pretty much everyone's does when talking to children. "Do you want to see what happens when you put it in water?"

"Yes!!"

"Okay, hold it right there." Jamie squares up to Maxine, staring down at her with his arms crossed. It takes every bit of training you have not to drop the Codex and get in between them. "I'm not gonna let you start mixing stuff up in a daycare unless I know what it is. I'm not on duty right now and I'd prefer it if it stayed that way."

Maxine meets his eyes steadily, all confidence and scientific certainty as she returns to her normal tone of voice. "Calm down, Mr. Skeet. It's just cornstarch. You'll find it in any kitchen." She turns to the children and grins again. "Come on, kids, I need some help over here at the table."

You close and re-shoulder the Codex as the children scamper off to follow Maxine, who looks as excited as they do. You vaguely remember playing with cornstarch as a kid. It’ll be enough to keep those kids occupied for hours.

“Thank God,” Jamie mutters. He joins you in leaning against the wall, but he’s still staring at the kids. You get the feeling he isn’t as hateful towards them as he seems, but you decide it’s best not to bring that up.

“I’m sorry you got caught up in this,” you say instead. “The situation is delicate right now.”

He smirks at that, and doesn’t quite laugh. “Yeah, kinda figured that out when the sirens went off, didn’t I? Tried to go help, but that silly girl locked this playpen up tight. Didn’t want the munchkins going crazy- crazier, anyway. Told ‘em the alarm was a practice fire drill, guess cause I’m here. Can’t leave, can’t even fight the bastards that come by to check on us.”

"They've been here?" you ask, incredulous. "What would they want with a bunch of kids?"

"Heck if I know. Maybe they don't want witnesses. Either way, they've tried getting in a dozen times already. Guess they gave up when bullets didn't work." He nods his head to the daycare’s one and only public entrance, which is the only thing in the mall that rivals the communication hub in terms of security. There’s a single reinforced square window in the door, and through the new scrapes and impact points you see the food court spread out in front of you.

Taking note of that, you glance at him askance. “You might want to cover that up, if you get a chance. They can’t shoot what they can’t see. I’m sure Archie will be willing to sacrifice her drapes.”

“Nah. I'll use my jacket if it comes to that.” He kicks idly at his feet, where you notice a worn duffle bag. He must have had the rest of his uniform on hand to show the kids before the alarms went off.

Jamie’s not looking at the door anymore, but through the office window to where Archie and Sara are still talking. Sara’s back is to you, so you can’t see her face, but from what you can see of Archie’s they’re still arguing. “What do you think they’re talking about in there, anyway?” Jamie asks without looking at you. “I know Smith from a few emergency calls we’ve been on together, and I ain’t ever seen her running around like James Bond during a crisis before.”

“She came for the weapons she stashed here,” you say, and add more softly, “And to see if you wanted to come with us. We came in through some tunnels under the mall. Going the way we came will get you outside.”

You hear the first scream of delight as Maxine adds starch to the water. The kids are immediately up to their elbows in the sticky mess. Maxine is laughing, showing the kids how to squish the goo between their fingers and solidify it. It's the happiest you've seen her in weeks. They’re filthy, but at least they’re having fun.

Jamie went tense at your words, and when he responds it's through a clenched jaw. “So I can do what? Walk outta here and leave a bunch of schoolchildren locked up with these psychos? Not a chance mate, that ain’t part of my job description.”

It catches you by surprise, to say the least. You would have thought he’d jump at the chance to leave the daycare. But you realize that if he does stay, that’s one more thing standing between Van Ark’s men and the children, as well as Archie. And you can’t help but feel grateful for it. “Thank you.”

He raises his eyebrows at you. After a moment he uncrosses his arms and holds out a hand. “Jamie.”

You shake his hand and nod. “Five.”

“That’s the stupidest name I’ve ever heard.”

“Jamie!” Archie skips up to the two of you, grinning. It looks forced. “What is Maxine doing with the children? It looks like very messy fun!” She grabs his hand and pulls him along with her to the table, taking Maxine’s place. Jamie grumbles, but listens and bickers with the kids while they repeat what Maxine told them about cohesion and other things that you don't really understand.

There's undisguised longing in Maxine's eyes as she walks back over to you, stealing glances at the table. Sara must notice it too. She puts a hand on Maxine's shoulder and gently steers her toward the sinks by the kids’ restrooms. She surreptitiously palms the remainder of the starch and passes it off to you, and you immediately stuff the baggie in your pocket. "Wash up, Doc. We've got to get moving."

“Where are you going?”

The voice at your hip makes you jump. Looking down, you see Carena, covered in watery starch. Sara’s appearance must have drawn her away from the others. Sara squats so she’s on Carena’s eye level and holds a finger to her own lips, smiling. “It’s a secret, lovey. We’re going to do something very, very important.”

Her little face twists in a wary frown. "Is Miss Archie and Jamie going too? If they do, I want to. Jamie’s nice."

You steal a glance at the fireman, who's currently occupied with flicking water at Jasper from across the water table. Nice? Well, as long as she thinks so.

Sara looks up at you, and you realize that she had left Jamie to you. You shake your head.

She doesn’t look too surprised at that, and she responds to Carena with a smile. “Don’t worry, Miss Archie and Jamie are going to be right here. And while we’re gone, I have a very special job for you.”

“You do?” you and Carena say together.

Making a show of looking around and making sure the other kids aren’t looking your way, Sara reaches into her shirt pocket and pulls out several paper sheets. Each has a metallic sticker in the shape of a police badge. She peels one off and applies it to Carena’s shirt, making eye contact the whole time. “You’re a trooper, you know that? So I’m going to tell you something the other kids don’t know. There’s something dangerous going on outside. I need you to stay here and make sure that everyone stays safe until we get back. Can you do that for me?”

Carena puffs up her narrow chest with pride. “Ma’am, yes ma’am!” she shouts.

“Shh!” Sara shushes. “Secret, remember?”

“Ma’am, yes ma’am,” Carena whispers, saluting with one finger.

“What’s all this, then?” A shadow looms over you, and you find that Jamie has once again escaped to see what you’re up to. “Leave the officers alone, kid. They got stuff to do.”

Carena doesn’t show any signs of being intimidated. She waggles a pudgy finger in Jamie’s direction. “I know. They’re leaving me in charge while they go on their essp-” She fumbles the word, frowning in concentration. Finally, she finishes with a loud, “Esspedition!”

“Expedition, ducky! With an x like x-ray!” Archie calls cheerfully across the room at the same time that Jamie groans, “It’s expedition, kid! How many times do I have to tell you in one bloomin’ day?”

You’re torn away from the frankly adorable exchange when Sara nudges your arm. Maxine is back from the sinks, all clean and ready to go. The dreamy look in her eye is gone, replaced with newfound determination. You nod.

"Take care of them, Carena," you say gravely. You're looking at Jamie.

They both give you solemn looks and nod. "Come on, brat, you heard ‘em. You've got job to do," Jamie says.

"Yeah!"

They walk back to the others, hand in hand, and you try to imprint the peaceful scene in your mind. This is part of what you're protecting. This is what's at stake if you fail.

"Oi, Five. One more thing." Jamie nudges Carena away and grabs for his duffle bag. Underneath his jacket and helmet, he reveals a heavy-handled ax. He grabs it by the neck and offers it to you handle first. "Take this. It's no use here, and these kids would find some way to kill each other if they found it."

You take the ax warily. It's a fireman's ax; it's meant for breaking in doors, not bad guys' heads. But it's well balanced. You nod your thanks and carefully secure it across your back in a loop from the Codex’s strap. Its bulk weighs you down more, but it’s within easy reach should you need it. “Thanks. See you soon, Jamie.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

It's... More difficult than you anticipated to leave the daycare. You go down the hatch in the same order you came up, Sara at the top and Maxine in between the two of you. The children's laughter follows you all the way down.

"What were you and Archie talking about?" you ask once you reach the bottom of the ladder. You turn on your torch and see with mild surprise that you've beaten them down by a good few meters.

"Hold your horses, sapling. At least wait until I've hit the ground!"

You sigh and bite back the retort that builds on your tongue. Sara is technically your superior officer, and as such deserves the resulting respect. That doesn't mean you can't grumble, though.

You hold out your hand to once again assist Maxine, but she surprises you by dropping from the ladder and landing lightly on the balls of her feet. She looks very proud of herself as she straightens from her crouch. "I've gotten the hang of it now," she tells you, grinning.

You hold up your hands in a placating gesture. "Alright, I get it! You're officially a spy now."

Sara jumps down next and immediately pulls out her own light. "This way, Five. Maxine. We've got to backtrack in double time if we want to meet up with the others." She sets off down the corridor at a brisk pace. You and Maxine scramble to follow, and you completely forget about your question.

You walk in silence for some time before Sara calls for a halt. You've reached yet another ladder, and you turn off your torch to pocket it for the climb.

Sara doesn't do the same. She turns to you and Maxine, gravely serious. "Alright, you two. This is where it really gets going. There are no tunnels up here, and no armored daycare to take shelter in. Once we're out, we're on alert at all times. Understood?"

You nod, and Maxine swallows before doing the same. Sara's eyes search Maxine's for a moment before flitting to yours. You hope they look braver than you feel.

Sara finally releases you from her gaze and takes a deep breath before squaring her shoulders. "Then that's that. On we go."

The three of you make good time up the ladder and in moments you're crawling out of a hole in the floor of Sara's office. Her torch is the only light in the windowless room, passing over her desk and a few simple chairs. There are pictures on the desk, of her smiling with a man and two young boys. You can't help but stare. You've never seen Sara with her hair down, and you had no idea she had kids. You're about to ask about them when the silence is shattered by the ring of a gunshot.

You freeze on instinct, afraid to even breathe. Logically, you know that you're alone in the room. But that shot sounded close. Muffled shouts reach you from the other side of the door, followed by running footsteps. They're right outside.

"What do we do?" Maxine finally whispers. Out of the corner of your eye you see her hand twitch for the gun in her waistband.

"Stand down, Dr. Myers," Sara says crisply. "I think it's about time we got a progress report. Five, boot up that headset of yours. Let's see what Sam's got to say for himself."


	4. Runners Ready

The first thing you hear over the comms is Owen, screaming and cursing at someone. The second is Sam, giving terse instructions in rapid fire. The third is the deafening chatter of bullets shattering in your ears. It’s unclear whose line it’s coming from, or if it’s right outside.

“Sam? Sam!” You frantically tap your earpiece while Maxine fiddles with the wires again. You gently push her hand away, indicating it isn’t a problem with the headset. You take it off and turn the volume all the way up, and Maxine and Sara circle around. “Sam, we’ve got signal back. Tell me what’s happening.”

“Five? Oh thank God,” Sam breathes. “Simon is holed up safe on the second floor for now, but Owen and Jody got spotted and they're being tailed by three-”

A bang goes off outside and Jody screams, “Four!”

“Alright, make that four hostiles. Are you anywhere near the video game shop?”

Sara cocks her rifle and stands. “I’ll cover them from here. Five, you stay low with Maxine. She can try to do the same thing to my radio as she did to your headset.” She nods to her desk, where a pair of handheld radios rest side by side.

You exchange a look with Maxine and nod, and Sara slips through the door without a sound.

“Five? Five, was that Smith?” Sam’s incredulous voice demands your attention. “Where’d you find her?”

“In the tunnels. She’s the one who tripped the alarm and locked us all in. Don’t worry, Jody,” you add for good measure. “Sara’s an expert. I’d trust her with my life.”

Four steady, precise shots reverberate nearby, and Owen throws up a cheer. “Thanks a million, Smith! That was incredible!”

“She can’t hear you yet, Owen.” Maxine pulls a radio off of Sara’s desk and starts pulling and clipping wires. “But the range on this is much better than your headsets, so it shouldn’t be too much more… Ahah!” She closes the front panel of the first radio and reaches for the second.

“You’re clear all the way through, guys,” Sam cuts in. “Head to security so you can join up with the others. Simon, do you read?”

There’s a crackle of static, but eventually Simon’s voice cuts through. “I read. Headset’s nearly busted, though. I’d like to get out of this supply closet, while we’re at it.”

You leave Sam to direct the others and crawl over to sit next to Maxine, backs to the desk while she finishes up with the second radio. “It didn’t take you as long this time,” you point out, unaccusing.

“Well, these are made for a longer range than the length of your average sporting goods store,” Maxine says. She frowns as she fixes the last wire and closes the panel. “But mostly, I think what helped most was the fact that someone already modified these radios.”

“What do you mean?”

Maxine adjusts her glasses and looks briefly toward the door. “I mean that I didn’t even have to break into Abel’s closed frequency. These radios were already tuned in. All I had to do was boost the range and reactivate the outgoing signal, which was way more simple than those old headsets of yours. Sara had to have been patched in.”

You set your chin in your hand and hum. “Janine probably did it. She’s a whiz with that stuff too, and probably wanted Sara to be in touch,” you muse. “Isn’t that a thought? That Sara was listening the whole time while we goofed off back in Abel, just waiting for something to happen?”

“She must have been listening in on Janine's intelligence report as well,” Maxine realizes. “And afterwards, too. The alarms sounded right after Janine started screaming in your ears back in the pharmacy.”

Understanding floods through you. Sara hasn't just been sitting back, watching you run around blindly in the dark. She's been on alert the whole time, watching over you. Some of your resentment toward her fades away. “Yeah. She's always known everything, hasn't she?”

Maxine cracks a smile. “Why am I not surprised?”

At that moment, the office door slams open. You know it's Sara, but your hand twitches for the pistol at your waist anyway. Slowly, deliberately, you draw it back.

“Come on, we don't have all week,” Sara hisses, ushering Owen and Jody inside. They’re both carrying some hockey sticks you recognize from Abel’s mannequins.  Sara slams the door behind them and locks it. She puts her back to the door and glances over. “Are either of you hurt?”

Jody collapses next to you, gasping and covered in sweat. But she smiles, and flashes a thumbs up. “I'm fine. Terrified, but fine.”

“I'm good too, thanks.” Owen quips. He flops onto the floor with all the grace of newborn foal and grins stupidly at the ceiling. He’s just as soaked as Jody, but at least he’s unharmed. “Never been more relieved to see you two. Thanks for the save.”

You have to chuckle at that, hearing Jody scoff. “That was all Smith. I wouldn't thank us just yet either, not until this is all over.”

Silence falls over the five of you like a heavy blanket at your words. Owen sits up, not meeting anyone's eyes but obviously trying not to look at Maxine. Jody bites her lip while twisting her hockey stick in her hands. The four of form a rough circle, and Sara leaves the door to put a supporting hand on Maxine’s shoulder.

Maxine puts her hand over Sara’s and squeezes. “Is there any word on Simon?” she asks softly. “The closer we are, the better we can operate.”

None of you put her unspoken plea to words, but you all understand it. _Let's get started._

You don your headset and press a radio each into Maxine and Sara’s hands. “Sam? Simon?” you prompt. “We’re all listening.”

“Hm? Oh, yeah yeah. Right. Sorry.” Sam’s distracted voice crackles over the comms. “Simon’s turned down his headset- it was bugging out and distracting him. He out of the closet now-”

Jody snickers at that, but a swift look from Sara shuts her up.

“-and he’s trying to sneak around a few of Van Ark’s people down by the cosmetics kiosk.” He pauses a moment, probably staring hard at the monitors around him. “Come on, just a little farther… Yes!”

“What is it? What’s happened?” Sara demands. She glances to the door and back, and you see her knuckles go white around the radio clenched in her fist.

“No one noticed him. He’s got a clear shot to your location!” Sam all but shouts.

“That’s my ear, Sam,” you hear Nadia mutter, but the barb lacks animosity.

Maxine grins. “That’s great, Sam. Send him here quickly, so we can work out a plan together.”

“I’ll go ahead and start, if that’s alright.” All eyes turn to Sara, and when no one objects she continues. “First, we need to know where we’re going. Are we sure that Van Ark and Paula are still inside the pharmacy, Sam?”

“No one’s gone in or out since Five and Maxine,” he confirms.

“Good. They're still trapped here just as well as we are.” Sara paces in front of her desk. “We’ll have to make our way back upstairs without being spotted. I know this mall like the back of my hand, but the rest of you aren’t exactly frequent and well-rounded in your shopping trips.” She grinds to a halt, seemingly struck by an idea, and picks up a pen, only to set it down with a frown of distaste. “And since I don’t have an artistic bone in my body, I can’t just whip us up a floorplan to work with.”

A noise of recognition works its way from your throat, and you heave the Codex into your lap. After a moment of watching you rummage around blindly, Maxine reaches over and plucks what you’re looking for from an inner pocket. You take the mall directory and spread it on the floor in the center of your circle.

“Good going, Doc,” Sara murmurs, almost to herself. She once again picks up the pen and kneels in an empty spot around the map. “We’re right here,” she says, indicating the office with a star. “We can’t rely on elevators unless we’re desperate to get shot, but escalators are fair game- an advantage, even. So we have access to the second floor here, here, and here.” She marks two escalators and one set of stairs. “The escalator closest to the pharmacy is farther from here, so the question is whether we want to spend more time down here or up there.”

“Can’t we take multiple ways?” you ask. You lean forward and trace two paths with your fingers. “Two of us up one escalator, two up the other, and then two up the stairs once the floor is secure, or at least passable. That’d be you and one of us,” you add to Maxine. “I’d say Simon, but I really don’t think-”

“No, that would work,” Sara cuts in. She draws the routes, heavy and dark lines winding out from the star. “Five, I want you and me to split up between escalator groups. Owen, Jody, you'll each come with one of us. Simon and Maxine can join us once we’ve neutralized the threat.”

Maxine stiffens. You don’t blame her; you’re rigid as a board yourself.  “Sara,” you start. “Maxine is my principal. I don’t feel comfortable leaving her, even if it is with Simon. She’s my responsibility.”

“And if it’s all the same, I’d rather stick with Jody,” Owen protests. “No offense to the rest of you lot, I’d just prefer to keep an eye on her.”

You whirl on him, a snarl ready on your lips to let him know that this is _serious_ , that if he can’t keep it in his pants for _five minutes_ \- and then you catch sight of his expression. Jody’s already flipped him the bird and turned away, so she misses the deep concern that flashes across his face. You notice now that his jokes haven’t been as natural, instead falling flat and feeling even more contrived than usual. You’d put it down to stress and shock, and you were partially right. He’s worried, but not only about himself.

Sara locks eyes with you and it’s clear that she understands, too, about everything. “I know splitting up isn’t ideal, but Five’s right. Charging up there like ducks in a row is just asking to get shot down one by one. And since Five and I have the most experience, we need to regroup accordingly so you rookies don’t get yourselves killed and Maxine has the least hazardous route. It’s the safest course of action. For everyone.” She fixes you and Owen with a firm, almost motherly look.

He flushes and stares down at his lap, and Maxine gives your shoulder a reassuring squeeze. It’s not easy to return her smile, but you manage.

You all sit up straighter as a quiet knock sounds at the door. Your radios crackle to life. “Lemme in, Smith! I’m not getting any younger out here.”

“Aye, I’m coming.” Sara tosses you the pen, and you catch it, surprised. “Five, you finish up the diagram. Use numbers instead of names if you have to, just be quick about it.” Grunting, she pushes up from her crouch and goes to let Simon in. He stumbles in, looking winded, though not so much as the other runners did on arrival. A sodden mop rests in his hands, obviously pilfered from the supply closet he’d been stuck in. As he leans his makeshift weapon against the wall Sara closes the door behind him and lowers her voice, explaining the situation in low tones.

Feeling the others’ eyes on you, you lean in and start labeling, thinking aloud as you go. “Okay. First we need to decide who’s going where. I’ll be the first to admit that Sara’s the strongest-”

“No contest there,” Simon agrees. “Bloody tank, aren’t you Smith?”

“Can it, Lachlan,” Sara says. “Pay attention.”

“-but I’m the fastest,” you finish. “So my group will wait for Sara to make a path, and then pick off the rest. Sam, where is most of the enemy concentrated?”

“Second floor. I counted fifteen total when they came in, and there are eight guarding the pharmacy. Smith got two in the leg when she saved Jody and Owen downstairs, and another two are seeing to their injuries.”

Maxine finishes the math first. “That leaves three unaccounted for, Sam,” she worries. “Have you checked all the cameras?”

“Three missing bad guys?” Simon asks. He joins the circle, nodding in greeting as he crosses his legs fluidly under him. “Those must be the guys I saw in the jewelry store when I was being chased. They’re still standing guard at the safe room door, must think Five and Maxine are still there.”

“That’s excellent,” says Sara. She steps up behind Simon and points to the map. “There will be more hostiles on the upper floor then, nearest the pharmacy. My group should take the closest escalator, and Five’s group can sneak up behind them while they’re engaged with us.”

Sara’s plan checks out. She’s the most heavily armed, at the very least, and she really is a crack shot. While she could hold her own against the army of a small country, misdirection is more your style. You’d be nothing but cannon fodder if you went up first. You write the number five next to the longest route, but pause as you move to label Sara’s.

“What is it, Five?” Maxine asks over your shoulder. She presses the back of her hand to your cheek. “Are you feeling alright?”

Embarrassed, you shake your head. “I’m fine Doc, stop checking me for a fever. I just forgot that Sara doesn’t have a number. Took me a second to remember.”

“Can she have one?” Sam surprises you by asking. “It’d be easier to relay information if we just had numbers. Right, Nadia?”

“Well, that’s why my Lem set up that system at New Canton, isn’t it?” Nadia retorts before rustling some more paper. You wonder briefly what she’s been looking at this whole time.

“And why we do it at Abel,” you agree. You look up at a bewildered but amused looking Sara. “Well, Smith? Pick a number that isn’t three, four, five, or six.”

Jody coughs. “Or seven.” At your confused look, she blushes. “What? Just because Evan’s not here doesn’t mean he’s not a runner. Calling anyone else ‘Seven’ is just weird.”

“Oh for the love of…” Rolling her eyes, Sara throws her hands in the air. “What about eight, then? Might as well go in order.”

You nod, satisfied, and ink a number eight on the map, quickly filling in the missing numbers. You take Jody, which makes Owen raise an eyebrow, but you try to assure him without speaking that it’s the best way. Jody knows you better than she knows Sara, and is therefore less likely to lose her nerve and make herself a target. And you know for a fact that that girl can screech when she wants to. No better way to cause a diversion. Maxine gets a capital ‘M’ next to the three.

“So, let me see if I got this right,” Simon says slowly. He’s staring intently at the map, brows furrowed. “I’m going up the stairs with… Maxine? After you lot have all the fun. What are we even doing?”

“You’re babysitting,” you deadpan, and Maxine’s face falls.

“We’re taking up the rear and meeting the others at the pharmacy to go get Paula,” she corrects gloomily. “I guess I’m all but useless, huh?”

In a surprising show of maturity, Simon shakes his head and slings a friendly arm around her shoulders. “Nah, you’re just too important to risk in a fight. What’s an adventuring party without a healer, eh? A bunch of idiots with guns bleeding out. We’ll make it through and hand out plasters and lollipops after, Doc.”

Maxine blinks owlishly behind her glasses, speechless, before a small smile breaks across her face. “I knew you were lying about being into RPG’s.”

“Focus,” Sara warns. “Now, before we go running in there, is there anything we should know about the pharmacy that could help us?”

Maxine perks up immediately, glad to have some useful information. She ticks off facts on her fingers as she speaks. “The front windows are bulletproof, so don’t even try it. I keep a baseball bat behind the fish tank for emergencies that we can grab. Oh, and if we can manage to drive them out completely, the lab has a separate lockdown code that can seal us in until help arrives!”

“Brilliant,” Sara breathes. She depresses the button on her radio and barks, “We’re ready, Yao. We’ll need you on comms at all times. It’s your call.”

Sam breathes deeply, and it rattles in your ears. He sounds jittery, and that won’t do. You need him to keep a level head or you’re all done for.

“You’ve got this,” you tell him with all the feeling you can muster. “You’re the best operator this mall’s had in years. I trust you.”

You hear a sharp inhale, and then silence. Finally, Sam answers. “I won’t let them get the jump on you. You just stay safe, Five. You hear me?” His voice is steady and confident.

An unexpected wave of affection washes over you and you laugh in spite of yourself. “Roger that, Sam.”

“Right then.” Sam clears his throat. “Runner Six and Runner Eight, ready?”

“Wait for the signal before you follow us,” Sara reminds you. When you nod, she gestures at Owen and he joins her at the door. His shoulders tense. Casting a final glance at Jody, he nods. “Ready, Sam.”

“Alright then. On my mark. Ready… Go!” Weapons at the ready, Sara and Owen slip through the door and vanish.

Simon clears his throat into the silence. “So, Maxie… This might be a bad time, but do you think this headset’s worth saving?” Wincing, he removes the battered tech and offers it up for inspection.

“Hm.” Maxine runs her fingers over the set with a delicate touch. “Damn, Simon, what have you been doing to this thing?”

“You try squeezing through a vent in the loo and crash landing in a broom closet some time and get back to me on proper tech maintenance.”

“Touché. It looks like your problem is in the pack, probably damage done to the transmitter by the fall. The headset itself is fine, and I think if I just...” Flicking aside some frayed wiring, Maxine grips the cord extending from the headset to the pack and yanks. It snaps free.

Simon’s face contorts in horror, and you cringe in sympathy. “Maxine!”

“Calm down, you big baby. I know what I'm doing.” Grabbing her radio, Maxine rearranges and weaves the wires together with the headset’s until she’s finished a jury-rigged final product. “There. It'll hold up for now, but after this is all over you'll need to see Janine for a new one.”

“You're an angel, Maxie!” Simon all but crows. He hooks the radio to his belt and jams the set over his ears with the reckless abandon of a child on Christmas. “It's better than new!”

“Alright, guys,” Sam says urgently. Your pulse quickens. “Runners Four and Five, get ready to go. Six and Eight are nearly in position.”

“Roger that, Sam,” Jody answers. She picks up her stick and looks at you over her shoulder. “Coming, Five?”

You take a deep breath and nod. Unable to help yourself, your eyes land on Maxine. She's not only your principal, but your friend, and the idea of leaving her is making you unbelievably anxious.

Luckily, she seems to understand. She gives you a warm smile. “It'll be okay, Five. We’ll see each other again in a few minutes.”

You laugh. “I'm the one who’s supposed to be reassuring you.” You hold out your hand. “But thanks, Doc. I'll see you soon.”

Maxine takes your hand, but doesn't shake it as you'd expected. She pulls you in close and hugs you with all the strength she has. “Be careful,” she whispers.

Her hug leaves you breathless and your eyes stinging, but you gather yourself enough to hug her back. “When I see you again, we’ll be that much closer to finishing all of this. I promise.” Looking over Maxine’s shoulder, you fix Simon with an imperious glare. “Take care of her.”

Simon’s eyes flicker with something you can’t identify, but he nods. “I will.”

“They're almost to the escalators,” Sam warns.

Jody shifts from foot to foot. She's buzzing with adrenaline and needs an outlet for it soon.

Giving Maxine one final squeeze, you turn and join Jody at the door. Her excitement and apprehension prove contagious, and you find yourself bouncing on your toes as you wait. Your vision sharpens, your heart pounding against your ribcage like it wants to beat you to your goal. You vaguely feel Jody beside you, your energy rebounding between you, but mostly you only feel the need to move flowing under your skin like an electric current. With shaking fingers, you slide Jamie's ax free of its strap and grip it tightly.

In a solid tone, Sam gives the signal. “ _Run._ ”

And with that, you’re gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! It's been a hectic few months, and I'm sorry for the delay. But I figured this would be a nice birthday present to myself :) Thanks for reading.


	5. Queen's Castle

There's no way to put it kindly, so you don't waste your energy trying; Jody Marsh is an animal. She takes down one of Van Ark’s men with the element of surprise, striking while his focus is on his friend’s leg wound. You deal with the only other standing agent in a similar fashion. Neither of you want to kill if you can avoid it. You knock all four of them out and bind their wrists and ankles before going to join Sara and Owen.

The instant the two of you reach the second floor, Jody flies ahead of you and leaps into the fray. You curse and jump in after her, expecting to have to protect her from her own over eagerness. Instead, she pulls a stunning roundhouse kick that disarms one of the men. He cries out and makes a move to grab her, but she crooks his neck with her hockey stick. Pulling the man close, Jody knees him in the groin with all her strength. He goes down without a sound.

You catch sight of Owen, covering Sara’s back with his own stick and eyes wide with unabashed awe. And then the enemy spots you and you’re engaged as well.

Sara laid most of the groundwork, making use of the element of surprise. She took out two guards before you and Jody even arrived. You weave through the mass of bodies and lash out with your elbows and the heavy, blunt handle of your ax. It's too close for shooting; you could hit your people and they could hit theirs. Not even these mercenaries are willing to risk that, so it falls into a melee of flailing fists and cheap kicks.

“Behind you, Five!” Jody shrills.

You whirl around and catch the fist coming at you. Using your adversary’s momentum, you send them stumbling right into Jody’s backswing. The impact shatters the stick, and panic grips you. Although the man drops like a sandbag, Jody is now unarmed. Scowling, she tosses the splintered wood aside and brandishes her fists at the woman storming toward her. You tense and ready yourself to jump in and help.

“Five, leave her!” Sam orders.

You stumble and narrowly dodge another punch, flinging the Codex up just in time to deflect it. “What? Why! She's all alone.”

“Four can handle it,” he assures you. “I need you to cover Six!”

Turning your back on Jody, you search for Owen in the tussle. He's back to back with Sara, but he's trying to fight two people at once. Sara’s likewise occupied; she can't help him. Glancing back, you see Jody rake her nails over the other woman’s face. You decide that Sam’s made the right call on this one.

“I'm on it.” You take a running start at the nearest guard and sweep his legs out from under him. He falls forward onto his gun and groans, clutching his stomach. When the second guard’s head snaps toward you, Owen swings his hockey stick around hard on the back of his neck. The man sways only for a moment before his eyes roll back and he slumps to land on his partner.

“Thanks, Five,” Owen pants. You hold out a fist, which he bumps with a tired smile.

“Are they all out?” Jody’s voice says behind you, and you jump. There she is, hands on her hips and mercifully unhurt.

You check, and sure enough Sara’s finished with her opponent too. The adrenaline rush fades to a simmer. That was an exhausting fight, and all of you look a little worse for wear, but at least you’re still standing. All eight guards are unconscious on the floor. Some have lumps on their heads and a few have angry, red scratches on their faces. In your peripheral vision you see Jody flick the telltale drops from her unpolished nails. You’ve never paid much attention to them, but you see now they’re well kept in a way that makes you wonder if she’s had to do this before.

“Remind me again what you did before you started working at Abel, Four?”

Another smile, and a secretive wink. “Banking.”

Before you can head down that particular rabbit hole, Sara approaches and congratulates you with a clap on the shoulder. “Nice work, you three.” You have to double take, looking between her and Jody. How on earth is her breathing so even? For crying out loud, her hair is still perfectly in the confines of her ponytail! Compared to Jody and Owen, Sara looks like she just walked out of a spa.

What have they been rationing out at Mullins since you’ve been gone?

Turning away, Sara gives the mound of bodies a disdainful look. Her lip curls in distaste. “Got any rope in that magic box of yours, Five? I don't want to chance these pests coming after us.”

Nodding, you reach into the Codex and grab the coil of rope resting near the top. You uncoil the length of it and start toward the nearest unconscious lump.  
Owen cuts you off by beckoning for the rope. “Lemme handle that, Five. I owe you for the save back there.”

Surprised but thankful, you hand over the rope and the knife you used downstairs. While you’d bungled with your knots, Owen moves efficiently among the passed out men and women. You note with approval that he uses the rope sparingly but well. The knots he's using look scout worthy at least, if not military caliber.

Sara raises her eyebrows and you know she's come to the same conclusion. “Know your way around a hobble knot, don't you Six?” she observes.

Owen flinches. “Oh, yeah. I told you my dad’s parents have a farm in Queensland? I lived with them part of the year, after… Well, after we got back in touch.”

“That’s right,” you recall. Owen hasn't told you all much about his family besides his ‘absolute rock of a mum’ who he still sends back money to from time to time. But you do remember the look in his eyes the first and only time you asked about his dad, so you quickly charge ahead. “Barley, wasn’t it? I didn’t think they kept animals. I thought that was your mum’s sheep farm.” You wonder idly if it's possible to hogtie a sheep, or if there's even a need for that.

“They didn’t.” Owen ties the last knot on a guard’s feet more roughly than the rest. His fingers shake as he returns to his feet, but he wrings his hands around the rest of the rope to hide it. “It was the blasted rabbits. They kept coming after the crop, and gramps had me running around trapping and catching them. Eight years old and I could catch and clean a rabbit in five minutes or less. How sick is that?”

Jody rolls her eyes and crosses her arms over her chest. “Aw, poor baby. Forced to hunt and kill the bad bunnies, must’ve been so scary.”

“It was horrifying, you heartless woman! I was just a kid! I'd like to see you skin Thumper and all his little mates, see how you like it.”

“Alright then,” Sara says sharply, shutting them up. You re-shoulder the Codex and join her in studying the pharmacy, now unguarded. The lights are off in the front room, but even through the windows you see the flicker of light back in the lab.

Sara palms her radio from her belt and depresses the talk button. Her voice echoes eerily in your ears as it passes through the currents. “Runner Three, the way is clear. Are you ready?”

“Been ready, more like,” Simon drawls. “It’s been dead boring staying behind while you guys get to be big heroes. Come on Maxie, let’s get a move on.”

“Hold it!” Nadia suddenly shouts. The sounds of a scuffle scrape against your ears as she grabs for Sam’s microphone. “I'm not going to just sit here anymore while you idiots charge in head on. Are you really going to take Dr. Myers in there?”

“Um,” you venture when no one else speaks. “Yes?”

Nadia groans. “You’re going to enter a hostage negotiation with the one piece that would give this Van Ark even more control over Paula? Honestly people, think!"

“But I-” Maxine’s panicked voice strikes you deep. “I can't just stay here! And Simon! You'll need Simon’s help! We have to go!”

Silence from the comms. Owen and Jody find a sudden fascination with the state of their shoes. Sara’s face remains stony as ever. Several seconds pass before you realize that they're all waiting for you to say your piece.

“Maxine,” you start, and you know that she knows what you're going to say.

Her shaky exhale threatens to strike you where you stand. “You promised.”

You swallow thickly. Sara gives you a questioning glance. You squeeze your eyes shut and you’re thrown back to the pharmacy. You see Van Ark’s malicious grin, and Paula as she falls in slow motion to land near your feet. Maxine’s desperate screams echo in your ears. “I know.”

“Five, thank you-”

“I wasn’t finished,” you interrupt, and clear your throat. You clamp down on a shudder, forcing yourself not to picture her hopeful face. The next words leave you like a mouthful of knives. “I know I promised to bring you along. But I promised to keep you safe first. I’m sorry, Maxine. You’re staying with Simon.”

Sara is quick to reassure her. “We took out eight with just the four of us, Doc. I understand how you feel, but staying away is the best way you can help Paula right now. We’ll need the two of you out here in case Van Ark tries to break for it.”

Maxine lets out a long, slow breath like a death rattle. “In that case, he'd better hope I don't get to him before you all do.”

Relieved, you feel a strained laugh bubble out of you. “I’ll pass on the message.”

“Aw,” Simon groans. “You guys get to have all the fun.”

“Maybe Simon and I could switch out,” Jody suggests. She holds up her hands in a gesture of helplessness. “I’m kind of unarmed now, anyway. A sodden mop is better than nothing.”

You look to Sara, but she shakes her head. “No time. We have to go in now.”

“Take this,” you offer, holding your ax out handle first. “Although from what I just saw, you probably won’t need it. I've still got a pistol.”

She takes a few practice swings before nodding, a frankly frightening grin crossing her features. “Yes. Yes, I think this’ll do nicely.”

“Right.” Sara brings her radio up once more. “We’re going in, Sam, and that means we’re going dark. Wish us luck.”

“Good luck, guys. And please, be careful!”

“Will do, Sam.” You gently tweak the knob on your headset until it goes completely silent. Jody and Owen do the same while Sara pockets her radio. Raising an eyebrow, you gesture at the door with faux elegance. “After you, Madame Smith.”

Sara gives you a mischievous smirk and makes a zipping motion over her lips. Then she opens the door and creeps inside.

The fish tank is still bubbling away, even with its lights off. The four of you step inside, hardly daring to breathe. Sara leads the way to the lab door, holding up a hand. She shows you three fingers and points to the door, pointing to herself with her other hand. We go in on three. My count.

You look back to make sure Owen and Jody got the message, and the three of you nod. Sara holds up one finger. Two. On the third count, she raises a leg and kicks the door open with her gun trained inside. You cover her with your own.

Professor Van Ark jumps up from a spinning chair. “You!” he snarls. “How did you get past my men?”

“Those aren’t men, they’re swine!” Sara shoots back. She gestures threateningly with her gun. “I want you down on your knees, you psychopath. Now!”

Slowly, Van Ark does as Sara asked. Both of his hands are stuffed into his pockets he sinks down near the desk. “My, my,” he says, sounding more amused. “A rifle, a pistol, an axe, and a hockey stick. You Mullins people certainly are resourceful, aren't you?”

“Where’s Paula?” you demand, cutting to the chase.

Van Ark casts a haughty glance your way but otherwise ignores you. “You know, Sara, I've had some time to play around in here. Did you know that Miss Cohen and Dr. Myers have something called a TiVo?”

The same instinct that took over you when you first saw the professor washes over you again, sending your body into a panic. He wouldn't be this nonchalant unless he had something planned.

“What are you going on about?” Jody snaps. She brandishes the ax with fire in her eyes. “If I were you I'd be begging for your miserable life right about now.”

“Jody, Owen, go further into the lab,” you order. “Find Paula and get her out immediately.”

They nod in silent unison and lower their weapons, rushing around you and Sara to push open the door to the examination room. You turn your gaze back to Van Ark and steady your aim.  
The adrenaline coursing through you lets you pick up the minuscule movement in Van Ark’s pocket. His hand fiddles with something, distorting the fabric, and your eyes widen. You turn to Sara just as Jody and Owen return, Paula dazed and stumbling between them. “The doors!” you shout.

Right on cue, a rumble shakes the pharmacy. A heavy metal sheet releases from the top of the doorway and shoots toward the floor. You holster your weapon and roll, landing on your back underneath the security door. Bracing yourself on your arms, you thrust up from your hips and wedge the door open with your feet.

“Quick thinking, Five,” Sara congratulates you. “You three, get out of here and take Paula. I can handle him alone.”

Jody looks frantically between you and Sara. “But-”

“That's an order, Marsh!” Sara glares over her shoulder. “Five can't hold that thing forever.”

She's right. The door is whining now, some mechanism or other trying to force it closed on you. Your thighs are shaking with the effort of keeping the door open just a meter. Spots are starting to swim behind your eyelids, and your back is screaming. You focus on a nick in the metal and try to breathe.

“Come on, Jo.” Owen ushers her forward and through the door first. Then he shimmies under, turning to hold out his hand to Paula. “That's it, Paula. Under and out, nice and easy.” He shoots you an encouraging smile. “Then you, Five.”

You grunt out an affirmative, but just as Paula lowers herself to the floor everything tips sideways. A strong arm hauls you out from under the door, and the last thing you see before it slams closed are the horrified faces of Jody and Owen, twisted into screams.

A quick check finds Paula sprawled next to you, looking bewildered. Van Ark pushes up to his feet and polishes his glasses on the tail of his coat. “That went well,” he says dryly. He fishes a small remote from his pocket and sets it on the desk before turning his eyes to you.

You fumble without looking for the gun at your belt but it's wrenched out of your grasp and tossed away. It skitters across the tile and under a chair somewhere and your head snaps up. “Smith? What the hell are you doing?”

Sara smirks down at you, hand on her hip and rifle on her shoulder. “Paying my dues, sapling. The Professor and I have some questions for Miss Cohen, and I think you'll be quite the handy study guide.”

* * *

“Five! Paula!” Jody bangs on the security door with both fists, her hits becoming more and more frantic.

Owen grabs her wrists and tries to keep her still. “Jody, there's nothing we can do! Save your strength.”

Jody whirls on him, wrenching her hands from his with tears in her eyes. “Damn her,” she chokes out. “Damn Smith to hell! You saw what she did, we can't leave Five and Paula in there with the both of them.”

“We’re not going to,” Owen promises. He switches his headset on and barks, “Sam! We've got a problem.”

“What happened?” Sam and Maxine demand at the same time, and Owen winces. He's always hated being the bearer of bad news.

“Smith turned on us. She's working with Van Ark and they've captured Five.” He pauses, bracing himself, and adds softly, “Paula didn't make it out with us.”

He hears Maxine break into a sob on the other line and has to take off his headset.

* * *

Simon puts an arm around Maxine and tries to shush her as best he can without being an insensitive prick about it. “Hey Doc,” he whispers. “Let's get you somewhere nicer than this dreary office. Smith said there were tunnels, yeah? We can meet up with someone and regroup, maybe try to rescue them.”

Maxine sniffs and scrubs at her eyes with the heels of her hands. “But the plan was to stay here and wait.”

“Yeah, Sara’s plan. And look who she's with now. I say we should get you to the safest place possible. Do you remember how to get to that daycare?”

“That's brilliant,” Sam says in their ears, and they both jolt. They’d half forgotten Sam was still listening. “It's heavily fortified, and Archie will need some help with the kids I'd bet.”

“And Jamie’s there too! He could help us. He's a fireman,” Maxine quickly explains to a confused looking Simon. “He was visiting the kids when lockdown was initiated. He didn't want to leave them behind, but I'm sure he could be of some help to us if we ask.”

Nadia clears her throat lightly to cut in. “That sounds like a good idea for now. I'm working through these schematics to see if there's a way to break into the pharmacy. Anything you can think of that might help, Dr. Myers?”

“Not off the top of my head, no. It's not like I scoured the office for hidden secret passageways. Though I'm starting to think I should have.”

“Then we’ll leave you two to it,” Sam says. “Maxine and Runner Three, you'll want to go dark in the tunnels and check back in when you get to the daycare. We’ll keep you updated.”

Simon nods. “Roger that, Sam. Over and out.” After helping Maxine switch off their shared radio, he stands and offers Maxine his hand. “You ready for this?” he asks.

Maxine slowly takes his hand and stands. She's not openly crying anymore, but it's a near thing. “I think so,” she says. “But if Sara was really working for Van Ark all this time, she could have shown him and his men how to get into the tunnels. And now that Five’s been captured…” She bites her lip, blinking fast again.

Simon frowns, nodding. “Right, you've lost your bodyguard- and I'm unarmed. Maybe we can stay here if you really want. Wait for that backup Five was talking about.”

“Five…” Just for a second, Maxine’s face lights up. “Of course!” she breathes. Pulling her lab coat aside, she unhooks the pistol from her belt. She holds it out to Simon carefully. “I’m useless with these things but it's better than nothing, right? You should take it.”

“Nice.” Simon whistles appreciatively. “I guess we’re good to go then.” He lifts the hatch into the tunnels and bows. “After you, ma'am.”

Maxine rolls her eyes but takes the lead. As she lowers herself into the hole, Simon turns around to follow. The sound of the hatch sealing behind them is soft but leaves a heavy weight on the firearm in his pocket.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for sticking with me! Two more chapter to go, I think. Possibly just one. Oh well, I guess we will see.


	6. A Friend, Indeed

You struggle as hard as you can, but your earlier statement stands: Sara is far, far stronger than you are. She's got you in an absolutely filthy hold, dragging you by your neck and twisted arm through the lab and back into the examination room. She slams you down onto the table and your vision goes blank for a moment as the back of your head cracks loudly against the hard surface. By the time you can see again, she's got you strapped down with restraints on your wrists and ankles. She reaches around your headset and snaps the wire clean off.

“Traitor,” you snarl. You twist and contort against your bindings, lunging toward her. “We trusted you! How can you be working for _him_?”

None of Smith’s usual humor shines through as she stares you down in silence. You shrink back in spite of yourself, confused and unbelievably hurt. Bile rises in your throat and you blink back angry tears. This is wrong. This is so, so wrong. This is Sara; strong, snarky Sara who buys the muffins more often than she should. How could she have betrayed your trust like this?

Sara backs away, eyes downcast, and Professor Van Ark looms over you in her place. “She works for me because I can offer her something no one else can,” he answers smugly. Reaching into his coat pocket, Van Ark draws out a tiny, orange tinted vial mostly full of a clear liquid. He dangles it teasingly in front of your face. “You're familiar with the VS72 serum, correct?”

You gasp, eyes widening. “That- where did you get it?” Of course you've heard of VS72- the rumor mill at Mullins was ablaze with that name for months after the temporary shutdown of Project Greenshoot. Even the newest recruits knew the stories about it. Some said it could cure cancer, others said it made you indestructible. The more crazy tales were only whispered at night in the barracks, swearing up and down that the serum could turn people part animal. You'd always known those were a bunch of wives tales, but there did remain one fact; a man had died during the testing of the drug that is currently in Van Ark’s grasp.

“Ah, so you are.” Van Ark holds the vial up to the light and examines it proudly. “It's amazing what people can be talked into sharing when enough money is on the table. Not every researcher in Project Greenshoot is as tight lipped about prior exploits as Miss Cohen, here.”

As if on cue, Sara enters the room with Paula in tow. The pharmacist still looks woozy, but her eyes are focused enough that you can see the fear and concern in them when they lock on you. “Five,” she begins, but Van Ark raises a hand to silence her.

“The most intriguing thing about this serum, Five,” he continues as if he hadn't been interrupted. “Is that it was marked as a failed project; tossed out, discarded, ordered to be _destroyed_ while the ministry tried something new.” He moves as he talks, rummaging around somewhere behind you. You strain, but can't see what he's up to. “But there were others, like myself, who saw its potential. Those fools in the ministry didn't know what they had. It wasn't a failed cellular regeneration formula- it was the basis for the secret to immortality. We saved it, we improved it, and we are going to use Project Greenshoot’s final work to finish it.”

“Professor, no!” Paula interjects. She has the tone of someone who is tired of having the same argument over and over, and you wonder just how long he's been trying to work the answer out of her. “The risks far outweigh any benefit gained from taking the serum. I don't care what you say about the regenerative properties, it has _killed_ people! Even ZN1 can't prevent that. It isn't ready!”

“Restrain her, Sara,” Van Ark says conversationally.

Smith moves like a snake, wrapping one arm around Paula’s midriff and tangling her other hand in her messy bun. When Van Ark stalks toward them, you catch a flash of another hypodermic needle and your breath hitches.

Van Ark stops less than a meter from where Paula is struggling to break Sara’s hold. “Look here, my dear,” he says softly. Holding up his syringe, he flicks the glass with his fingertips and settles the bubbles forming in the clear liquid. “This little bit of VS72 is the same dosage that ended your trial experiments. What was that poor man’s name again? If it helps jog your memory, I believe he was filed as Patient 29?”

Paula pays him no mind, still trying valiantly to free herself. You haven't stopped struggling either, but deep down you know you can't worm loose from these bonds. Sara is a professional- whether it's her hands or her tools, she doesn't let go of anything she's caught.

“No? You don't remember? Well, that's quite alright. This exam has a few bonus questions.” Van Ark leers over Paula and pitches his voice low. You have to hold your breath and strain to hear his next words. “Tell me where to find the files on ZN1. You and I both know it can stabilize the serum.”

“No, it can't!” Paula yells, sounding well and truly panicked now with the serum centimeters from her face. “You can threaten me all you want, but your plan won't work. It's not scientifically sound. We created ZN1 to do everything the VS72 was supposed to accomplish without the side effects. Lumping them in together won't magically fix the neural and cellular degeneration!”

Van Ark sighs, pressing one hand to his forehead as if this whole ordeal has him extremely put upon. “Of course not, Miss Cohen. But with some deconstruction and the proper motivation…” He looks up at you and grins. “Perhaps you could find it within your heart to assist me in giving it the old college try.”

“What are you doing?” Paula demands sharply, panicked. “Professor, don't you- Five can't tell you anything about this!”

Van Ark ignores her. He approaches you slowly, taking his time. He goes so far as to fetch an alcohol wipe from the counter to disinfect your exposed inner forearm. Raising an eyebrow, he braces the needle above your elbow and looks back at Paula. “Miss Cohen, you know what this could do. We can either work this out together or let you do it alone- with Five’s life as your deadline. It's your decision, but do make it quickly.”

“Don't,” you say immediately. You give Paula your most commanding look, which is probably diminished by the fact that you're still strapped to the table. “Mullins sent me here to make sure you were safe. You and the formula are more important than I am, Paula. You can't give it to him, do you understand? No matter what he does to me.”

Her lip trembles, and for a moment you think she's going to give in. But she squares her shoulders and nods once. “I understand.”

Although it's the response you wanted, you can't help but tense. Van Ark isn't breaking skin with the needle, but it's a near thing. His thumb twitches on the depressor.

“Oh, for the love of…” Sara spins Paula around and grabs her by the chin, forcing her to meet her gaze. “Listen, Cohen. The professor has asked nicely, but I'm done playing good cop.”

“Sara,” Van Ark snaps. He shakes his head sharply, and the needle edges away from your arm. You relax by a fraction.

“Haven't you been wondering what's happened to Maxine?” Sara barrels on. “You didn't really think Five got her out, did you? She's still here, and so are the Runners, Archie, and a whole mess of schoolchildren. It won't take long to track them all down, and there's enough serum in that little orange bottle to jab each and every one of them.”

“Sara!” Paula gasps.

Sara glares pointedly toward you and Van Ark. “You can save them,” she says, to you or to Paula you're not certain. Maybe both. You lift your chin as best you can and stare at her in stony silence.

The professor, strangely quiet, raises his needle. You let out a quiet sigh of relief until he speaks again. “Ah, yes. Doctor Myers is currently in the tunnels, on her way to the daycare.”

Ice runs through your veins, and Paula chokes like she's been punched in the stomach. “How can you possibly know that?”

“That's what I'd like to know,” Sara says. “What secrets have you been hiding, professor?”

“I have my sources. And that source could easily be convinced to do anything I want.” Van Ark picks up his handheld radio and tilts it back and forth. “All I have to do is say the word, and I'm afraid I may have to.”

Paula’s eyes shimmer. “You can't,” she breathes.

Van Ark tuts in admonishment. “Oh, but I can. It is a shame, though. We all would have made a splendid research team. But if darling Maxine is going to stand in our way…”

“They're in the hub,” Paula blurts out. Tears pour down her face, but she doesn't stop. “My locker. I keep them there. I'll take you to it, you can have them, just… _Please_ don't hurt her.”

There's a moment where no one dares to breathe. You look helplessly at Paula. She's all but crumpled against Sara now, trying to muffle her sobs, and you remember how you hated making Maxine choose between her own safety and the life of the woman she loved. Van Ark had made Paula choose between the woman she loved and the fate of the country, maybe even the world, because he knew exactly which one would win. And the key to his victory is one floor below you.

The taunting look on Van Ark’s gaunt face slowly grows into a satisfied smirk. “You've made the right choice, my dear.” He sets his radio down and beckons for Sara to release Paula with a wave of his hand. The syringe full of VS72 hangs at his side, but he's still too close for comfort. “We’ll be along, then. Sara, do be a darling and watch over our most excellent teaching tool until we come back.”

“I'm coming with you,” Sara protests. “I've been sitting by for far too long. I’ve earned the right of wiping that stupid grin off of Sam Yao’s marmite-loving face.”

You only just bite back a groan. You hadn't even thought about Sam and Nadia, locked up inside the hub. Too many lives are wrapped up in this mess, you can't let your best friend become another.

Van Ark smiles patiently. “No, my dear. I need you to make sure that no further complications ensue. I enlisted you because you are a professional at, ahem, doing things quietly.” His eyes flit to you meaningfully before resting on Sara’s gun.

At first, you think she's going to do it. She's already dutifully palmed the emergency remote and used it to open up the pharmacy doors, giving Van Ark a clear path. But as soon as Van Ark turns fully away from you, she spits, “Over my dead body.” Sara strikes, shoving Paula to the floor and lunging for Van Ark. He yelps and throws up his hands to defend himself.

You see what happens next in slow motion, and it's something you're never going to forget. Years down the line, when someone asks you to describe Sara Smith, to tell them what it was like to work with the greatest agent of her age, your mind will only conjure up this image. Sara, foregoing the rifle strapped across her shoulders. Sara, grabbing for the syringe in Van Ark’s hand. Sara, eyes glowing hot with hatred and contempt for the man who dared to lay a finger on her friends.

Sara, disbelief on her face as the needle flips in Van Ark’s practiced grip and sinks deep into her wrist.

Sara, swinging with her free hand and socking Van Ark in the jaw anyway.

Van Ark stumbles back, stunned from the blow. Blood trickles from his split lip. “I knew you were too good to be true,” he gripes. “Getting rid of the Major took far too little time.”

“I am good,” Sara concedes through gritted teeth. “Good enough to take you down.”

“Ah, but not good enough to hold on to this.” Van Ark brandishes the remote and grabs Paula by the arm. “Goodbye, Sara. I do hope the serum kills you slowly.”

“Wait,” you shout. Your mind is racing to process what's just happened, and you know you're just stalling but there's nothing else you can do but try to buy some more time.

Van Ark’s gaze fixes on you and sharpens. “As for you, Five... try not to listen too hard when she dies.” He hits the button on the remote and quickly forces Paula through the lab door and out through the pharmacy front.

“Oh no you don't!” Sara takes a step after them and her knee buckles. She hits the floor on one knee, eyes bulging and breath coming hard.

You can only watch, helpless, as the door closes and traps you inside the pharmacy once again.

Sara catches her breath and staggers over to you. “Dammit,” she gasps. “I didn't think it would take effect so quickly. Let's get you untied before I go comatose.”

You gape. “What the hell, Smith?”

“No time to go over details, soldier,” she snaps. The bonds on your wrists loosen and you sit up to help Sara with your feet. “We have to intercept Van Ark before he gets loose with those files.”

“Does Mullins know you're doing this?” you demand. “Double agenting? You could be tried for treason!”

Sara scoffs. “Like you aren't already for going rogue? And of course they know- it was the Major’s idea.”

You suck in a breath. The woman going by the moniker “Major” is in charge of all of Mullins base, but she does all of her work off-site. You've never even met her, but she's a living legend with a reputation for incredible tactics in the face of danger. If all of this is going all the way up to her, then this mission must be even more important than you previously thought.

“So you ‘got rid of her,’ eh?” you ask cautiously.

“Don't be daft. She’s always been close by, and Van Ark wouldn't make his move until he was sure she wouldn't be around. So we planned her departure and I told Van Ark it was all my doing to gain his trust. Simple, really.” Sara’s eyes go soft as she unties you second foot. “She wished she could tell you how well you were doing, you know. She's very impressed with your dedication.”

A lump forms in your throat. You try to sober up, but you feel like Sara just told you that Father Christmas hand picked you for the top of the “Nice” list. “Then let's go make her proud,” you say. You jump down from the table.

Sara looks grim. “Love to, sapling. But how? We’re locked up tight.”

You jog up to the security doors, flicking on the lights as you go. You look them up and down. They're as solid as ever, but at least they only shut down the outer doors. Even working together, you and Sara couldn't take down _two_ steel barriers in time. You've still got a shot if you can keep your head and think rationally.

Taking a deep breath, you run through a mental checklist like they taught you at Mullins. The rookies called it ATOT for short to remember the categories. Allies: Sara and the runners. Target: the hub. Obstacles: roughly ten centimeters of hard steel. Tools…

The Codex, battered but still holding, catches your eye. You vaguely remember tossing it away from you as you dove under the door, but you never saw where it landed. You snatch it up from between a potted plant and the fish tank. There's nothing in there that can help you out this time, but its weight on your back grounds you.

“There's got to be a w- a way to-” Sara coughs thickly, a great wracking thing that shakes her whole body. “Dammit,” she says again. “We've got to get you out of here while I can still be of some use.”

You look long and hard at her. The serum is already taking its toll on her. Her face has lost all traces of its healthy glow, leaving it pallid and drawn. Her eyes are wider than you've ever seen them, almost as if they could pop out of her sockets. Her breath is coming in sharp gasps punctuated by rattling coughs.

She looks like death.

“You need to conserve your strength, Sara. Take a seat for a minute and we can figure this out together.”

Sara glares at you, but she's always been one to know her limits. She sinks into the chair at Maxine’s desk and glowers at the doors.

Your checklist is useless, you decide. It only told you what you already know: you're stuck, and Van Ark is on his way to freedom.

“Have you gotten to ‘tools’ yet?” Sara quips.

“Done,” you reply. “Nothing useful.” But you smile. It's comforting to know that the skills you both learned are something you have in common. “The old ATOT list didn't come in handy this time.”

Sara frowns. “Oh, that's right. You've been out for five years. We changed that. It's CADET now, so much easier to remember. Communication, Allies, Destination, Enemies, Tools. Only one more category, but much more specific.”

You smack a hand to your head. Of course, your headset! “Have you still got your radio?”

Sara breathes in sharply. “I don’t. I smashed it when I broke yours. Appearances, you know? But Van Ark’s is still in the other room on the desk.”

You rush to gather up what you need. The severed cord of your headset gets shoved into the outer pocket of the Codex. Sara holds her hand out for the radio and you slap it into her palm. After a few nail-biting moments, she hands it back and it crackles to life. “It's broadcasting to our frequency now. You ought to get on first and tell them I'm not a turncoat.”

“Roger that.” You dial in and take a deep breath. “Runners, this is Five. Does anyone copy?”

“Five!” A few different voices clamor for your attention. You hear Owen cheering for you, Sam almost crying with relief, and Jody insisting that she just _knew_ you'd be alive, simply _knew_ it.

“Runners, please!” You have to raise your voice to get them to quiet down. “We have a situation. Sam, Van Ark is probably at your door by now. Stall him as much as you can, but your priority is Paula’s life.”

“I- what?! This isn't what I'm trained for. I-I'm just a mall operator, Five.”

“You can do it,” you insist. “You have to. Has anyone gotten word from Maxine and Simon? Where are they?”

Nadia confirms your worst fear. “We sent them to the daycare through the tunnels. They should be safe there.”

“Van Ark knows where they are,” you inform them. “I don't know how-”

“He said he had a source,” Sara interrupts. “A source that could be _persuaded_. That doesn't suggest a bug- that suggests a mole.”

“Speaking of.” Sam’s voice hardens over the comms. “Smith, I was under the impression that you had helped Van Ark capture Runner Five. What are _you_ doing on _our_ comms?”

You have to stifle a laugh. “She's been with us this whole time, Sam. She only pretended to work with Van Ark so she could keep tabs on him.”

“But apparently he was still keeping some secrets. Somebody let him know where Maxine and Simon were going,” Sara points out.

“We can figure that out later,” Nadia says. “If Van Ark is coming here, then Maxine and Three are fine.” She rustles some papers and let's out a pleased hum. “Runners Four and Six, take a sharp right turn and take the first ladder on-” Static cuts in briefly, washing out the rest of her statement.

Sara coughs again and looks at you, bewildered. “What are they doing in the tunnels?”

“I don't know,” you reply just as a loud bump from the fish tank startles you to attention.

Cautiously, you reach for your ax only to remember that you gave it to Jody. You cast your eyes about the reception area and they land on the pistol that Sara took from you earlier. You quickly but quietly go over and pick it up, turning off the safety with a soft click.

Sara waves her hand to catch your attention. She braces her feet on either side of her chair and draws her own gun. You nod your understanding- you investigate, she'll cover you.

 _On three,_ you mouth to her. You hold up one hand as you approach the bubbling tank. One finger up, and you're standing by. Two fingers, you’re crouched low next to the wooden base of the tank. You scrutinize the woodwork and suddenly see an outline of some sort in the graining, almost like a little door…

You never reach three fingers because at that moment, the door opens from the inside. Jody and Owen’s faces blink up at you, adjusting to the sudden brightness.

“Well that's a fine how’d’ya do,” Owen tells the barrel of your pistol. “And after we came all this way to pick you up.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're getting close, you guys! One more to go (and maaaaybe an epilogue, I'm still deliberating.) Thanks so much for reading!


	7. Jolly Alpha Five Niner

There’s a flurry of voices as everyone is brought up to speed. All you really have time to process is that, due to deus-ex-Nadia, Jody and Owen were able to find a tunnel that went under Abel and came out in the pharmacy. You leave Sara to their care and drop into the tunnels, Sam’s voice short and strained in your ear.

“It’s a left and a right- yes, down there straight to the ladder. Tell me what you see, Five.”

“These walls all look the same, Sam.” You huff into your microphone. “Just keep giving me directions and I’ll be there as quick as I can. How about you tell me what _you_ see?”

Sam makes a whimpering sound low in his throat, and your chest contracts. “He’s out there right now, Five. He’s got a gun to Paula’s head. What the hell do I do?”

“Keep him talking,” you instruct in a growl. Your feet fly across the smooth stone floors and skid as you take corners at a desperate pace. “He loves to hear his own voice. Stall until I get there, you understand?”

He inhales sharply, and even through the growing static the despair in his voice is clear. “He’s counting down from ten.”

You don’t ask why. You know and it only makes you pump your legs harder. You haven’t run this fast in your whole life, but now you’re drawing on every last ounce of energy you have. “Then let him in. We can’t gamble with Paula’s life any more than we already are.”

Nadia curses colorfully on the line, and you hear her frantically signalling Van Ark. “Don’t shoot! I have to disengage the locks.”

“Two more rights and a left,” Sam whispers to you. “Can you remember that, Five? Two more rights and a left and take the third ladder. You’ll come up just near the escalator, in that ring of pot plants near the closet Sim- wa- wait-” The rest is lost to static.

You shut off your headset and keep running. You take the next right, and another, and then a left. Then you count.

The first ladder is on your right just after the turn. You streak past it, feet nearly numb from the hard slap of stone beneath your soles.

The second ladder is maybe twenty yards after that, and is marked with a large letter C etched into the wall beside it. You don’t pay it any mind, don’t even know why you notice that. Your senses feel sharper than they ever have, and you can only pray that they’ll be good enough to pull everyone through.

The third ladder comes into view and you only slow down enough to catch the bars without dislocating anything. You scramble up without caution- all of your threats are in one place, and you’re racing right for them.

You burst from the ring of leaves and start for the frozen escalators, cursing. It only took you about two minutes to navigate the tunnels, but it was two minutes too many. The door to the hub stands ajar, and panicked voices come from inside. You force yourself to slow down and move to the side, dropping low and stealthily creeping up next to the door so you can peer inside. Your pounding heart stops.

Nadia and Sam are on the floor, face down and with their hands on their heads. The tangled wire of the public announcement microphone lays around and beneath them, the microphone itself being out of sight somewhere. Van Ark watches them like a hawk, but his gun is trained on Paula. She’s kneeling by the wall of lockers, fumbling with the second of three different combination locks.

“You’re stalling, my dear,” Van Ark accuses, voice tight. You take heart at the fact that he’s worried- for you, that’s a good thing. He knows he's running out of time. “I suggest you hurry it up.”

“Well you’re not the one trying to do this half drugged,” Paula mutters. “Dammit!” she hisses when the lock slips between her fingers. She picks it up again and starts over.

Whether she’s stalling or not, Paula has bought you the time you needed to make a plan. Your training comes to you, and a dozen courses of action run through your mind all at once. If you can keep your head on straight and stay alert, you can get them all out of there in one piece.

Van Ark rolls his eyes and sighs dramatically, swinging his gun around to train it on Sam and Nadia. “I’m going to count from ten again. If you don’t have that locker open by then, one of them is going to be in a very large amount of pain for a very small amount of time.”

“I’m _trying_ -!”

“Ten.”

Paula fumbles the lock again, her hands shaking from fear, now. She manages to spring the second lock and scrambles for the third.

“Nine.”

Slowly, you slip back from the door. Your gun weighs heavy against your hip, but you discount that idea immediately. As much as you want to just shoot and run, there’s always the chance that you could miss. If Van Ark doesn’t die instantaneously, he could still hurt Sam, Nadia, or Maxine with his last breath. Once, you might have taken that risk. But not anymore. You've known and loved these people too long to gamble with them.

Van Ark taps his foot impatiently and sighs. “Five,” he says, and panic grips you like a vice- but he hasn’t seen you. He’s just skipped some numbers.

“Four.”

You think about Sara. You think about all she’s done, all she’s sacrificed to get you here.

“Three.”

You think about everything you’re trying to protect, from Carina’s messy curls to Janine’s rare, hard-earned smiles.

“Two.”

You think of Maxine and Paula, and your only thought as your knees tense for movement is for the look on Maxine’s face when she sees her girlfriend again, alive and well.

“One.” The click of Sam’s harsh breathing breaks out into a cry, and you clench your teeth and you push off and you go.

You go for the knees. Whatever else happens, you need Van Ark off balance. Preferably on the floor. He topples like a house of cards, his gun wielding arm windmilling wildly. A shot rings out above your head and everyone screams, but when sparks fly from the soundboard you know that it went wide. The professor swears and grapples with you, aiming kicks at your face and neck with the thick soles of his shoes. Gritting your teeth, you wrestle the gun from his hands and toss it as far away as you can.

“I should have killed you myself,” he curses, struggling even as you pin him to the floor. Unarmed, he’s no match for you in hand to hand combat- not even close.

“Five!” Sam sounds like he’s crying. You don’t dare take your eyes off of the man writhing beneath you to check. “Oh my god, thank goodness you made it in time-”

“Get her out of here,” you order. “You two hear me? Take Paula and her research back into the tunnels. Find Maxine and Simon, you’ll be safe with them. And as for you,” you spit, digging your knee into Van Ark’s back. “You are under arrest for assault, armed robbery, kidnapping, terrorism, conspiracy, destruction of property, and the endangerment of children.”

“Is that all?” he asks, having the nerve to sound bored. You see red.

Sam’s hand is on your shoulder; shaking, but firm. “Five-”

“I said, go!”

“But-!”

“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but Sammy boy’s right. I’m gonna need you to stand down, mate.”

Your head snaps up in shock as you recognize the new voice, but it still takes you a full three seconds before you can convince yourself of what you’re seeing. “Simon?”

Simon is indeed standing in front of you. His posture is relaxed, one hand resting on his hip as he leans against the doorframe. He’s smiling as serenely as you’ve ever seen, an expression that seems very out of place considering the blood on his lip and the gun he’s got trained directly on you.

Realization sinks in your gut like a hot, jagged stone as several things fall into place at once. Simon’s mysterious ability to vanish and reappear during the battle. His apparent need to be near Maxine. The information from Van Ark’s easily persuaded ‘source.’ Your prepared shout comes out reedy and whisper-thin as you shudder. “What have you done?”

“Nothing for you to worry your pretty head about,” Simon says cryptically. “But if you could be a pal and stay put while we make our big getaway, I’d appreciate it.” He nods at the professor to stand, and in your shock you let him up. There’s nothing you can do anyway; Simon’s too far for you to lunge for a loaded gun, and you already threw Van Ark’s somewhere behind you. You can only rise on shaking knees and stare.

“Lachlan!” Sam’s enraged voice gives you enough presence of mind to catch the operator around the waist before he can hurl himself forward. He struggles against your hold, nearly snarling in his fury. “ _What have you done with Maxine?”_

Paula finally chances uncovering her head and gapes at Simon in horror. “You- you were supposed to be with her. Where is she?” She’s still hazy from the drugs, but as Van Ark pushes past her to rifle through her locker- open now, you notice with a start- her eyes are scarily focused on the gun in Simon’s hand.

Nadia sidles up behind you to help calm Sam’s frantic anger. “What do we do?” she whispers. “Come on, Five. What’s the plan?”

Plan. You shake yourself out of your stupor and try to think. It’s nearly impossible. There’s too much information to sort through and you can’t think of a way out. Van Ark has Paula’s research in his hands- it’s a tiny USB drive, and you almost want to laugh. All of this for something so small, and so incredibly important. And now he has an ally. Simon has somehow procured a Mullins base standard issue pistol-

Your breath catches. There’s only one place he could have gotten that weapon. You loaded that gun yourself. And, God granting, you know what’s in the first chamber.

It’s still risky. Simon could have sent off shots in the daycare to cover his escape. But if that were the case, Jamie would have come after him. Unless Jamie was the one who got shot. Then again, Archie herself would have gone on the warpath to avenge him, goop-covered hands and all.

Your brain starts to fold in on itself from considering so many possibilities and so you shut it all down and just feel yourself breathing. You aren’t finished yet.

After all, you do have one more weapon in your arsenal.

Your sudden charge catches Simon by surprise. He fumbles with the safety- it wasn’t even off, which might be what saves the lives of everyone in the hub. Reaching into your pocket, you rip open the small plastic bag and cast the contents in Simon and Van Ark’s faces.

Cornstarch instantly blinds both men and sends them into minor coughing fits. Simon’s trigger finger squeezes once, but nothing comes out of the empty first chamber. You disarm him before he can do anything more than gasp in shock and pain. You turn to tackle Van Ark, but the moment your back is to him Simon lashes out and kicks you solidly in the lower back.

“Bastard!” You swear as you hit the floor, pain arching up your spine. Damn him for using that against you. You hear Simon and Van Ark stumble for the exit, and you push through the pain to sprint after them. As you run, you turn on your headset to see if you can get any backup. “Calling all runners- Van Ark and Simon are making a run for the main doors. Can I get some help here?”

“No.” Jody’s reply is not in answer to your question. She chokes back a noise of dismay and carries on. “I- we can’t leave Sara, Five. She’s in a bad way.” Sara’s muffled voice protests, but Jody shushes her firmly. “The security doors are still down though, aren’t they? They can’t escape through the doors.” Here she pauses before asking, “But is Simon really-?”

As if summoned by her words, an explosion rips through the bottom floor of the mall. Up ahead, you catch a glimpse of two figures jumping through the wreckage and your heart sinks. They’re getting away.

From your far left, another shape blurs toward the doors. He holds a baseball bat in his hands, holding it close to his body as his legs pump madly for the exit. He’s abandoned his clunky boots, but you can’t help but admire the speed with which Jamie Skeet can run barefoot through chunks of rock and hot metal. He leaps through the narrow opening in the steel security doors just before you do, ready for a fight.

Instead, you get a mob of confused and panicked people. There’s a police barrier around the mall and the sky is dark- you’ve been locked inside for hours. A man to your right coughs, a smoking detonator in his hands. “If you’re wanting a ride, you’re too late,” he quips. It makes no sense to you until you scan the area.

At the edge of the barrier stands a distraught looking man holding a motorbike helmet. “Bloody hell,” he says. “Those guys were in a hurry.”

You hear the screech of tires and look up to see the red taillights of a bike hurtling down the street. Simon mows down anyone in his path as Van Ark hangs on for dear life, one protective hand pinning Paula’s precious research to his chest.

A police officer grabs your arm and spins you, asking rapid fire questions and yelling and pointing at the mall. His gun flashes where it hangs in his belt and time slows down.

You duck and roll, yanking the gun from its holster. Simon has nearly cleared the screaming civilians now, and is preparing to turn the corner by the gas station. They’re hundreds of meters away- an impossible shot. You shoot anyway.

The back tire blows out. Out of control, Simon and Van Ark skid into one of the gas pumps. You barely have time to shout, “Get down!”

The night sky erupts as the gas station explodes. You can feel the heat keenly from all that distance away, even through all of the bodies separating you from the blaze. The gun drops from your hand with a clatter and you slump, gasping. You couldn't run anymore right now if you tried.

The officer you borrowed the gun from collects his wits and, along with his partner, tackles you to the ground. Another two go for Jamie, who doesn’t put up any resistance. He relinquishes his bat while calmly trying to explain what's going on. They aren’t listening. No one is listening, the whole crowd a writhing mass of chaos and fear.

That is, until an air horn sounds. You lift your tired head from the sidewalk as much as you can to see a convoy of uniformed military officers cut through the crowd toward the barrier. The police around you step forward to intercept them, but apparently they see something that chills them to their bones. They salute like one unit, backing away in reverence to make way for the person in the center of the group.

Her curly hair and piercing eyes are the only reason you recognize her. This uniform, with its medals and braids touting her status, is very different from the Dri-Fit gear she tended to wear around the shop. You blink several times to make sure you haven’t hit your head and started hallucinating. “Miss de Santa?”

Her guards bristle and make as if to come at you, but your old boss raises a single hand and they snap back into place like rubber. She appraises you with a cool look, taking in the sight of you and Jamie pressed to the pavement. “Let them up,” she says shortly. “I will speak with them myself.”

You breathe a sigh of relief as the pressure on your hurt back is removed. Jamie dusts himself off and offers you a hand up, which you gratefully accept. You look in wonderment to your boss and sort through the million or so questions in your head. “Miss de Santa-”

“That’s _Major_ de Santa from now on,” she corrects, not unkindly but not gently either. She snaps her fingers at the police officers hovering around you. “Well? There are armed suspects still inside that building- hop to it!” They scatter like mice, yelling as they storm into the mall to secure the building.

Your relief lasts until the Major- _the Major,_ you’ve worked for the Major for _five years, sorting sports bras-_ locks eyes with you once again. “Five,” she begins.

“I said, _where is my daughter!”_ A voice carries over Major de Santa’s and your eyes fall on the man with the helmet. The patch on his jacket reads ‘Ed,’ and he’s been shouting for a while now. Several other people behind him shout in solidarity, and you realize with a jolt that these are the parents of the children in the daycare.

“Jamie,” you whisper. “Maxine, Archie- the kids. Are they all okay?” They were when you last left, but Simon had been with them since. You fear the worst.

Thank God, Jamie nods. “Your operator figured out that Maxine’s buddy was no good before the rest of us did. He sent out a warning over the headsets, of all things. Stupid move, but I guess he didn’t have any other choice, did he? Anyway, he tried to take the doc but she kicked him in the crotch and I locked her and Arch in the office. So he decided to go after Carena, use her as a free ticket out.”

Your heart drops to your knees. “Is she hurt?”

“Hell no. I punched him in the face and he dropped her and ran. Never even turned the safety off that blasted gun. Took me ages to make her let go of my leg, though. Couldn't very well chase the blighter down with a kid latched on, could I?”

The Major sighs impatiently. “Look, Mister…?”

“Jamie Skeet, firehouse 10. Thanks for asking.”

“Mister Skeet. Would you mind explaining, in the _safest terms possible,_ that those people's’ children are safe and will be returned to them shortly? I need to speak with Five.”

Jamie looks to you for confirmation, making you flush. He obviously has no idea who it is he’s ignoring, for him to treat the Major with such flippancy. “Go,” you plead. “I’ll be fine.”

He looks between the two of you and shrugs, turning his back on the most powerful woman in the country as if he’s the Prince of all Wales. He shouts to get everyone’s attention and starts bringing the parents up to speed.

“He’s handling this rather… well,” Major de Santa notes. There’s a drop of suspicion in her voice. “I hope he won’t incite more panic.”

You shake your head and smile wryly. “It won’t hurt that he’s a firefighter. People will listen to him, and he’s got to stay cool under pressure.”

The Major doesn’t laugh at your joke. “My intel informs me that you’ve disobeyed direct orders from your direct superior officer as well as the Ministry, Runner Five. I should hope you have an excellent explanation for this.”

You look behind you at the smoking mall doors, and down the street at the still-burning gas station. You think, dazedly, that it’s a good thing there were already fire trucks on hand. “It’s a long story,” you hedge, shoulders hunching up by your ears. “We should probably get Sara on one of those ambulances before I tell it. Janine, too. She’ll cut my pay if she finds out I was gabbing on the job while she bled out at her desk.”

The Major does smile at that. She extends a hand and you shake it, reassured by her firm, vital grip. “We have time,” she says. “All the time in the world. You can stop running now.

* * *

_“There is still little word on just what happened at Alderman Shopping Mall last week. Reporters who arrived to cover the unprecedented and shocking lockdown of the mall indicate that for several hours, there was no communication in or out.”_

**_“Quite right, Eugene. Most people were forcibly escorted from the premises by mall security when lockdown began, but that led to the terrible situation of there being- get this- fifteen children left inside the mall’s daycare center during the robbery.”_ **

_“Jack, can we really call this a robbery?”_

**_“There are photos confirming the removal of at least ten men and women from that mall, all dressed in black and all armed. What else can you call it?”_ **

_“Well like I said, there was no communication with the- ugh, fine- “robbers” for the entire time they were in there. Seriously- no demands, no ransom for the kids, nothing. According to mall staff, who were let back inside just yesterday to survey any damage, nothing of value was stolen. But don’t worry, listeners- all of the children made it out safely thanks to the daycare’s overseer, Miss Archie Jensen, as well as Jamie Skeet. The visiting firefighter was trapped inside and helped hold down the fort, so to speak.”_

**_“Wonderful, wonderful. Those kids were very, very lucky. But don’t think I missed your very, very careful wording back there. Was anything_ ** **_not_ ** **_of value stolen, Eugene?”_ **

_“You goof. That’s… Well, a couple of sporting goods stores were reportedly missing some items from their mannequins. But I’m talking maybe a couple of hockey sticks and a goalie mask. The sticks were found broken in the hallway anyway, and there were only ashes recovered in that fire down the street so they definitely didn’t steal any jewelry or anything.”_

**_“Ah, yes! Now I don’t know about you, but I am dying to get to the good stuff about that story. Eyewitness reports conclude that the fire was caused by two blokes on a motorcycle crashing into a gas pump after getting shot at by the mall employee who people are calling the hero of the hour-”_ **

_“Or the villain behind it all.”_

_“_ **_What?! Come on, man. The motorbike blokes- who stole that bike, by the way. Forgot to mention that- ran out of that mall like bats out of hell. They were obviously not good guys. That’s such a bad guy thing to do. So that means the person after them must have been the good guy.”_ **

_“Your logic makes literally no sense.”_

**_“Why else would the Ministry be so hush-hush about who this mystery person is? They already released the names of all of the robbers and the guy who was supposedly their boss- a professor at the local university center! Tenured! Respected! Apparently a madman, but what tenured, respected professor isn’t! But I digress- Mystery Hero has got to be involved with the government.”_ **

_“You're being ridiculous.”_

**_“No, me being ridiculous would be if I started saying that the purpose behind the whole robbery was purely for the sake of that hockey gear.”_ **

_“Who would shut down a whole mall with a dozen armed robbers just for hockey gear?”_

**_“I don’t know, maybe a hockey phantom?”_ **

_“Right. The Phantom of Alderman Mall. You heard it here first, listeners. Be on the lookout for flaming ghost wearing a hockey mask at your local malls- he may strike again.”_

**_“Hey! Don’t go around actually saying that! We have high journalistic standards here on Radio Cabel!”_ **

_“I’ll show_ _you_ _standards.”_

**_“Ah- ahah! Um, well then. Listeners, we’re going to take a brief musical interlude here.. Coming up next, Phil and Zoe are going to teach you all you could ever want to know about-”_ **

You turn off the radio and sigh. You’re not sure whether or not it’s a good thing that the Ministry hasn’t released your information. They haven’t let you have access to television, a phone, or anyone outside this compound since they brought you here. You’re not even entirely sure where ‘here’ is. You only know what you've heard on the radio and what you've gleaned from eavesdropping on passerby.

What you do know is this- Sam and the others all made it out alive, and they're all somewhere in this compound with you to protect their identities while the story dies down. Janine is in stable condition, though in a lot of pain. You haven't heard anything about Sara, and you're too afraid to ask. You wonder if anyone has asked about you, and if so, what they were told. After all, it would be more than easy for you to conveniently disappear in a place like this.

A bed. A chair. A table. Plain walls, no windows, one door. One light fixture in the middle of the room, but no switch in sight. Sure, the people who come to give you food and changes of clothes are civil enough. But that doesn’t change the fact that right now, you’re a prisoner.

You don’t know exactly how long it’s been. Phrases like ‘last week’ don’t help when you don’t have a watch or a calendar on hand. But it’s been too long to be kept in the dark like this, court martial be damned. Bracing yourself, you stand up from the chair and make your way over to the door. You knock once, twice.

The narrow slit at eye level slides open, revealing a pair of guarded eyes. “Yes?”

“Has the Major said anything about why I’m here? Or for how long?”

Nothing in the expression changes. “You’re on bedrest, just like the rest of your friends. Recovery takes time.” It’s the same phrase you get in response whenever you ask anything. The exact wording. Quite obviously an answer they’ve all been stocked with to keep you quiet.

“Recovery implies that I’m _not_ going to be formally executed for treason,” you point out. “So if they’re not going to hang me, why are-?”

“Back to your post, _”_ a familiar voice snaps. Your guard lets out a startled noise and slams the tiny door shut. Your hands come up to slap the door.

“Janine!” you exclaim.

“Five?!”

_“Sam?!”_

“Mr. Yao!” Janine shouts. “You will not-!”

“Janine, what the hell?” Sam demands indignantly. “You said Five wasn’t even here!”

Your throat tightens, betrayal and fury making you see red while Janine tries to recover from this unforeseen twist in her plans. She and Sam argue in hushed tones with your poor guard trying to mediate. Eventually you hear her sigh, and in spite of your anger you can picture her face perfectly- tired, frustrated, and defeated.

She says something curt to the guard and for the first time in days, the door opens to a friendly face. Sam all but hurls himself at you and you catch him in the tightest hug you can manage. His delighted laugh tickles your ear. “Five,” he breathes. “You’re okay. We were so worried- all of us, you know-” He cuts himself off, pulling back to hold you at arm's length. His eyes are shining with pride as well as his tears. “You did it, Five. You really did it!”

“You certainly did.” Janine walks up behind Sam to glare at you. You glare back. She looks well, if you ignore the tightly bound bandages around her left arm and sling holding it to her body. “Hello there, Five.”

“Miss de Luca,” you return, satisfied with the hurt flinch that crosses her face at your tone. Serves her right. “To what do I owe the pleasure of this unexpected visit?”

Janine grimaces and gestures for your guard to shut the door, leaving the three of you alone. “Incompetence. All of the guards posted to you were told not to engage.”

Sam gives her another mean look. “Come on! Five’s a bloody hero, or didn’t you hear? Whoever heard of punishing someone for saving the day? Only two people- _very bad_ people, might I add, the ones who started the whole thing- died in that whole mess. Why is Five in so much trouble?”

He still hasn’t let go of your arms, probably afraid to leave you again. Your heart swells and you nudge him closer to your side, facing forward together.

It’s… different, ganging up on Janine. For years she’s been your friend as well as your superior. And really, you know that she’s only following protocol. Too bad it’s a terrible, idiotic protocol and you’re tired of waiting.

She seems to sense this, heaving another sigh. “I heard,” she whispers. “I heard everything. You did some exemplary work in the field, Runner Five.”

“But?” you prompt her.

“ _But_ , you did it all in direct defiance of orders from on high. We can’t just let that slide. You know we can’t.”

“So the Major is in on this,” you say.

“She’s in on everything.”

Suddenly, one of Sam’s statements catches up with you. It comes blaring like a siren to the forefront of your mind. You spin Sam around to face you again, hands tilting his face so you can force him to meet your eyes. “Sam, you said only two people died. Van Ark and Simon. Sara… She’s alive?”

Surprise widens his eyes before they crinkle in a warm smile. Sam’s hands come up to cover yours and squeeze. “She’s alive,” he confirms. “Mind you, she’s not in the best shape. But if anyone could pull through getting jabbed with loony-juice, it’s Smith. I saw her myself just yesterday, complaining about this place’s pancakes. Said they needed-”

“Banana chips,” you finish, verging on hysteria. You wrap your arms around Sam again just because you can, and because you’re so happy and so very relieved. You spent so long fearing the worst that you almost can't believe that's not what really happened. “We all made it,” you breathe into his hoodie. “I can’t believe we all really made it out alive.”

Janine clears her throat loudly, and you remember, fleetingly, that this isn’t proper behavior to display in front of your superior. You sigh and release Sam, but keep a tight hold on his hand as you turn back to face Janine. “Yes?”

“Smith won’t be out and about just yet,” she says sternly. “Until we know the full effects that the VS-72 serum will have on her, she is to be held under strict observation. As it is, she can’t survive for more than a day or two without extensive blood cleansing treatments.” She pauses, seeing the look on your face, and rolls her eyes. “And yes, that’s based on speculation. We have _not_ been pushing her to the brink of her abilities, I can assure you. She will tell you all of this herself, I expect. You’ll have a lot to talk about on your way.”

You tense. “On our way,” you repeat.

Sam squeezes your hand again, but this time it’s reassuring instead of bracing for the worst. “Well go on, Janine,” he demands. “I know you’ve got it with you, now hand it over.”

Confused, you look up in time to see Janine produce a crisp envelope from her breast pocket. You take it gingerly and open it one-handed, taking the single sheet of paper inside and letting the unmarked envelope flutter to the floor. You thumb open the sharp creases and begin to read, your heart lurching at the familiar handwriting.

**_To the Abel Unit and those associated,_ **

**_The Ministry of Internal Affairs extends its gratitude for your service to your country. Your quick thinking and brave actions have prevented events that could have led to damage and chaos previously unimagined by man. If you have received this correspondence, then a board of officers has recommended that you be relocated to one of our covert operation sites for mission Jolly Alpha Five Niner. We have need of your unique talents in the field, and as we have already seen, your unit is an effective (if unconventional) force to be reckoned with. Your decline will have no negative impact, but please know that your cooperation will be well compensated. Details to follow should you choose to accept._ **

**_Best regards,_ **

**_The Major_ **

“I got one too,” Sam beams as soon as you look up. He’s practically vibrating with excitement. “Owen, Jody, Sara- even Paula and Maxie- they say we can all work together, doing research and spy stuff and, and _everything!_ Did you know those infra-red monitors are supposed to be _difficult_ to read?”

“I- I don’t understand,” you say, your voice cracking. “I thought…”

Janine takes a tentative step forward before placing a hand on your shoulder. “Five, I know I said some things back there in the heat of the moment. I won't say I didn't mean them, because we both know I did. What you did was very dangerous. Anyone else would have led your team to inevitable defeat.”

Sam nods in agreement and throws an arm across your shoulders. “That's my Five all right,” he says, warmth and pride radiating from him in waves large enough to make you smile. “Doing the impossible. Like I said; a great big hero! So what do you say, Five? Are you ready for another adventure?”

You look at him, and you look at Janine, and the paper in your hand feels so heavy with promise that your head spins.

_“Let’s go.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This has certainly been a journey. I know this story doesn't have much of a readership, but to those of you who have stuck with me: I am very grateful and your kind comments have inspired me on this story as well as others. It took a long time, but I can finally say with certainty that Abel Outfitters has come to a close. I hope you've enjoyed reading this even a fraction of how much I've enjoyed writing it. <3 Also take this or leave it but as side notes:
> 
> Jamie and Archie totally adopted Carina
> 
> Simon most definitely survived
> 
> Jack and Eugene had a lengthy conversation about journalistic standards
> 
> Maxine and Paula spent their entire time in the compound attached at the hip, and in the future will work together to continue Project Greenshoot
> 
> Sara fights her way out of bed to make everyone some proper pancakes


End file.
